Bill Would Require More Financial Disclosure From North Dakota Officials

 North Dakota Secretary of State Michael Howe. (Mary Steurer/North Dakota Monitor)

(Mary Steurer – North Dakota Monitor) – The North Dakota Ethics Commission and Secretary of State’s Office presented a bill to require North Dakota officials to file financial disclosure forms on an annual basis.

House Bill 1469 would also require the Secretary of State’s Office to publish the forms online.

Right now, officials only need to submit one form when they file for candidacy or when they’re appointed to office. The documents aren’t available online.

Rep. Glenn Bosch, R-Bismarck, told the House Political Subdivisions Committee that the bill will help make it easier for officials to track their own possible conflicts of interest, as well as increase public transparency.