Ohio, USA – leading the way in anti-corruption

Sometimes you don’t need to have a country provide you with an example of anti-corruption legislation. Ohio, a state in the United States, was highlighted in The Center Square for its’ work on closing corruption gaps. "The FBI showed everyone how dark money directly led to one of the largest public corruption conspiracies in Ohio history, yet nearly five years later we still haven't passed a single law that would prevent it from happening again," Rep. Bride Rose Sweeney, D-Westlake said. "Our legislation is simple: Shine a light, follow the money, and let voters see who's trying to influence them. Ohioans deserve to have transparency and accountability from their elected leaders."

This is a very positive approach as well as an element of bipartisan engagement, building on actions by other political parties, addressing the real gaps which allows what we call pay to play. This closes gaps in Ohio legislation, essentially barring kickbacks in infrastructure and institutional projects, after previous corrupt dealings.

What else should be done? The actions by these Ohio legislators provide provide an example of how legislators, be they regional or national, can and should look at previous corrupt actions and then determine what can be done to avoid such actions. In conjunction with these activities, it is important to publicize such developments so that the public is aware of both the corrupt actions which are being enforced, as well as the changes that can occur based upon previous experience. So the next steps should be replication and continuation of their exemplary work.  Win, win all the way around.

Link:

https://www.thecentersquare.com/ohio/article_91dfa92a-9d56-4b54-aabd-70b8282d1f60.html