Report Gives Indiana D- For Government Accountability, Transparency

MUNCIE -- A report released Monday by the Center for Public Integrity gives Indiana a D- for state government accountability and transparency. 

In the State Integrity Investigation, Indiana received Bs in the categories of internal auditing and state pension fund management, but in the 11 other categories, it scored Ds and Fs.

Andy Downs of the Mike Downs Center for Indiana Politics says there are a number of reasons why the state received the low score, including the increased possibility of conflicts of interest due to the state’s part-time legislature.

“The legislators have jobs, and when you have a job, there’s a balancing act that we have to strike,” Downs said.

In the report Indiana was ranked 47th in the country for campaign finance. Downs says this is due to the lack of a database that’s easily accessible by the public.

“The problem at times is that the data is not really in a format that’s usable," Downs said. "So I can go find data, but I can’t necessarily do anything with the data.”

Indiana was also ranked 48th for its state budget process. Downs says that’s because in other states, residents have more of a say in the budget.

He says the state’s D- grade should concern Hoosiers.

“The people should be able to see and hear what government is doing,” Downs said.

According to the report, only three states scored above a D+. Overall, Indiana was ranked 29th in the nation for state integrity.