"Posting Delaware officials' financial disclosure reports on the state's integrity website: Is it necessary?"
Delaware officials' financial disclosure reports, which are public documents under state law, are currently not available online for public access. This lack of online availability means that citizens cannot easily view these reports without filing formal requests under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA).
The state law does not mandate posting these reports online, only that they be made available upon request. Some officials argue that since lobbyists’ spending reports (which do not include personal finances) are posted online, it does not necessarily justify posting public officials’ personal financial disclosures online. This argument was expressed by Representative Spiegelman during legislative discussions.
In a bid to enhance transparency, a bill was introduced to require public officials’ financial disclosure reports to be posted online. The bill, advanced by a House committee, signalled initial support, but it never reached the full House floor for a vote before the General Assembly adjourned in early July 2025. Thus, the bill’s progress stalled, and no new transparency requirements were enacted during this session.
Delaware state Rep. Madinah Wilson-Anton, who introduced the bill, is undeterred and believes there's plenty of support to get it passed when lawmakers resume their work in January. Wilson-Anton, who finds the requirement ridiculous, believes the reports should be posted online for public viewing. She is curious about the financial interests of a fellow Delaware lawmaker and believes that the more transparency, the better.
Senate President Pro-Tem Dave Sokola is a powerful ally for Wilson-Anton's bill and has signed on as a sponsor. Katherine Ward, of the Delaware Coalition for Open Government and Delaware Press Association, supports the bill to strengthen transparency and accountability at the Public Integrity Commission (PIC), the government body that receives and keeps the financial disclosure statements of some 350 elected and appointed state officials and candidates for Delaware office.
The financial disclosure reports contain information about the economic situation of the official and their spouse, including sources of income, investments, business ventures, creditors, gifts received, and positions on boards. Amy Roe, a Newark resident, spoke in favour of the bill, stating that FOIA is burdensome, time-consuming, difficult to navigate, and excessively costly for the public. Our website News has obtained Delaware officials' financial disclosure reports periodically in recent years, without specifying why they were being sought.
However, State Rep. Jeffrey Spiegelman questioned the FOIA application process, asking if requesters have to specify what information they are seeking. The bill does not address Spiegelman's question about whether the reports should be on the PIC's website.
While the bill has stalled for now, Wilson-Anton remains optimistic about its future, hoping that when lawmakers return, they will prioritise transparency and ensure that Delaware's financial disclosure reports are accessible to the public online.
The bill, if passed, would require Delaware's financial disclosure reports, which contain information about the economic situation of public officials and their spouses, to be posted online, thereby increasing transparency and accountability. The lack of online availability of these reports currently necessitates filing formal requests under the Freedom of Information Act, a process that some argue is burdensome and excessively costly for the public.
