WASHINGTON, D.C., June 25, 2009 — Two Southern states — Louisiana and Mississippi — made the biggest strides in the Center for Public Integrity’s latest financial disclosure rankings for state legislators, but 20 out of the 50 states still received a failing grade and three of those states have no disclosure requirements at all.

The rankings are illustrated by an interactive color-coded map that provides a nationwide comparison of state disclosure standards for lawmakers.

The Center’s new States of Disclosure project revealed that 14 states in all have improved their disclosure laws since the last survey in 2006. In addition to Louisiana and Mississippi, Oregon and Connecticut moved up in the rankings, while Massachusetts suffered the biggest drop.

Among the states that received failing grades are Illinois, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Indiana, Iowa, and Minnesota. The 20 F’s represent an improvement, though minor, over the 24 states that failed in both 2006 and 1999. Idaho, Michigan, and Vermont continue to tie for last place, as no personal financial disclosure laws exist, or have ever existed, in those states.

“Too many states still get a failing grade when it comes to adequate transparency for their elected public officials,” said Center Executive Director Bill Buzenberg. “For 10 years now, the Center for Public Integrity has tracked this issue so citizens can know about the potential conflicts of interests in state government. The more information that remains hidden, the less likely the public will know about conflicts and undue influence.”

The Center has been reporting on disclosure requirements in state legislatures since 1999, and bases its rankings on a 43-question survey that measures public access to information on legislators’ employment, investments, personal finances, property holdings or other activities outside the legislature. Survey answers are assigned a numerical value adding up to a possible 100 points; the highest scores reflect the highest degree of disclosure. The Center defines a failing grade as a score of less than 60 points on the survey.