New Ballot Measure Petition Circulating for "Open and Clean Government"

O.K., o.k., don't even start with the wisecracks about oxymorons.

Some civic-minded souls have added a second ballot measure to the list of petitions circulating for next year's election. According to the SD Secretary of State's website, an "Initiated Measure to place a ban on tax-funded lobbying, partisan activity, and government contractor electioneering (South Dakota Open and Clean Government Act)" received Secretary Chris Nelson's stamp of approval yesterday.

My impression had been that the 2007 Legislature had covered this problem in HB 1048, specifically SDCL 10-27-20. Evidently some folks still see potential for misappropriations of public resources and want to add this provision to SDCL 12-27-21:

No public body public officer. person in the employ of the state or any of its political subdivisions, or candidate for public office may, directly or indirectly direct permit, receive require, or facilitate the use of tax revenues or any other public resources for campaign. lobbying, or partisan purposes, including payment of dues or membership fees of any kind to any person, league, or association which directly or indirectly engages in lobbying, campaiqns or partisan activity.

Fair enough. Let's just hope some clever lawyer doesn't define the Internet as a "public resource."