Ch 15. Public Accountability Laws Flashcards
___ are a diverse group of statutes, regulations, ordinances, executive orders, and occasionally constitutional and charter provisions, whose fundamental purpose is to foster integrity in government and promote public confidence. (508)
Public accountability laws
A generalized term referring to a situation in which someone has a potential or actual conflict between the responsibilities imposed by law- by virtue of the person’s office or position- and some other duty or interest he or she may have, whether it be financial, business, family, or otherwise. (509)
Conflict of interest
From the perspective of public perception, the ___ of a conflict of interest can be as harmful as an actual conflict. (509)
appearance
The purpose of ___ laws is to manage conflicts that do arise in a way that is ethically appropriate. (509)
conflict of interest
___ go beyond addressing conflicts of interest and involve matters such as the acceptance of gifts, purchasing procedures, employment practices, and governmental decision-making. They go so far as to regulate the conduct of public officials and public employees on the job, after hours, in their off-duty employment, and after they leave public service. (509)
Ethics codes
___ establish comprehensive guidelines for the conduct of public officials and employees, often addressing conflicts of interest as well. (510)
Ethics codes
Codes of ethics may be adopted at the state level, but are more commonly adopted at the ___ level. (511)
local
Conflicts of interest are considered to be worse when ___. (512)
undisclosed or concealed
Officials disclose potential conflicts of interest by filing a public disclosure form with ___. (512)
the state ethics commission or other appropriate state agency
___ investigates civil violations of state ethics laws, while ___ oversees any criminal investigation. (512)
the state ethics commission; the attorney general or district attorney
Open meetings and open records laws are often referred to as ___. (513)
“sunshine laws”
“Freedom of information laws” by a few
___ require that public bodies meet and deliberate in an open public forum. (514)
Open meetings laws
Deliberations and verbal exchanges of views must be conducted in public in the context of ___. (518)
a formal meeting
Conference calls or teleconferencing with a quorum of board members constitutes ___ under open meetings laws. (519)
a meeting
Where the open meetings law applies, m there are 2 basic requirements: (520)
1) there must be advanced notice of any meeting.
2) all business must be conducted in the open meeting, unless a specific exemption exists.
Open meetings laws allow the public to be present, but do not require ___. (520)
that the public be allowed to participate
The reasons for a public body to meet in executive session are limited and listed ___. (522)
in the open meetings law
___ give the public access to many fire department records and documents. (523)
Open records laws
Open meetings laws do not mandate ___. (522)
public participation
Generally, open records laws apply to (who) ___. (523)
all state and local governmental offices and agencies
Open records laws apply to (what) ___. (525)
all materials that are created by a governmental agency or that are received by a governmental agency, pursuant to a law or ordinance, or in connection with the transaction of official business.
Individuals who expose some governmental or industry wrongdoing. (526)
“whistleblower”
A ___ is a part of a law that prohibits discrimination or retaliation against anyone who files a complaint, supports a complaint, testifies on behalf of someone who files a complaint or who otherwise takes an action under the specific law. (527)
whistleblower provision
___ are intended to improve and enhance public confidence in government. (528)
public accountability laws
