INDIANAPOLIS – How does Mike Pence’s record stack up on his willingness to show transparency for Hoosiers? At least 18 times should tell Hoosiers that Gov. Pence would rather hide information than be honest about the overall well-being of the state. In fact, Indiana received an “F” rating last year by the Center for Public Integrity on this issue alone.
But don’t take our word for it. On Freedom of Information Act Day, below are the 18 times Mike Pence was found to violate state law by withholding information from the media and Hoosiers.
|
Date |
Agency |
| 4-Feb-13 | Indiana Parole Board |
| 13-Oct-13 | Indiana Family and Social Services Disability Determination Bureau |
| 13-Mar-14 | Indiana Department of Correction |
| 19-Jun-14 | Indiana Department of Correction |
| 19-Jun-14 | Indiana State Police |
| 2-Jul-14 | Indiana Workers Compensation Board |
| 4-Aug-14 | Indiana Civil Rights Commission |
| 12-Aug-14 | Indiana Department of Correction |
| 19-Aug-14 | Indiana Department of Correction |
| 8-Oct-14 | Indiana Department of Correction |
| 2-Feb-15 | Indiana Department of Child Services |
| 3-Feb-15 | Westville Correction Facility |
| 9-Feb-15 | Indiana Housing and Community Development Authority |
| 17-Feb-15 | Indiana Department of Correction |
| 19-Feb-15 | Indiana Alcohol and Tobacco Commission |
| 2-Jun-15 | Indiana Parole Board |
| 9-Jul-15 | Ports of Indiana |
| 23-Dec-15 | Indiana Department of Transportation |
The bottom line: Hoosiers and the state of Indiana deserve to have a governor who is not only honest with them, but will be forthcoming about information on issues that are most important to them.
This leader is John Gregg, who just this year announced his “Open Government Initiative,” a proposal that would open up government and improve upon the state’s dismal “F” rating in public access. In the plan, Gregg would mandate a ten-business day turnaround for all records requests while also strengthening the powers of the Public Access Counselor. Further, Gregg would create a Public Transparency Commission that would provide a thorough review of the state’s existing public access laws and ways to improve on the system.
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