On this Plain Talk, Sec. of State Michael Howe and Rep. Ben Koppelman joined us to discuss a surprisingly contentious issue in the closing days of the legislative session.

Namely, a debate over laws requiring more rigorous campaign finance disclosures from legislative candidates. Howe supports the legislation, saying he wants better data for a new online database his office is implementing. Rep. Koppelman, however, suggested that the information wasn't that important to the public and would be "fodder for just trolling and fishing."

He said that allowing the public to "really microscope every movement" is "not a practical or I would argue even a useful reason" to require greater disclosure.

But without better disclosures, how could the public and the news media detect if a candidate is engaged in fraudulent or otherwise untoward activities with their campaign money? Koppelman said public officials are expected to "behave with high moral standards and follow these rules in a way that they can defend."

Howe, meanwhile, said his office's goal is "to make this easy for the filer and for the public."

Koppelman also weighed in on the closing debate over property taxes, saying he's not confident that the public is going to get enough property tax relief to head off another ballot measure.

Koppleman called the legislation backed by Gov. Kelly Armstrong "the wrong approach from the get-go" and suggested that it's a futile endeavor. "I don't see any point in passing the bill, quite frankly, because it's like people aren't asking me for three drops in the bucket of relief from their property tax bill," he said.

Also on this episode, co-host Chad Oban and I discuss the state of the property tax debate, and when this legislative session is likely to be over.

This episode is brought to you by the North Dakota Petroleum Foundation, providing education and outreach opportunities related to the petroleum industry, advancing quality of life initiatives, and promoting and enhancing the conservation heritage of North Dakota. Learn more at www.NDPetroleumFoundation.org.

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