LegiStorm: Transparency's Sidekick

We've added a small feature that should make it easier for our users to stay on top of members' financial disclosures.

You can now see the member disclosures we've most recently added to our database. Even though most lawmakers file their financial disclosures each year on the May 15 deadline, to be released publicly the following month, dozens receive extensions and file later in the year. Members also file amendments to their disclosures throughout the year. Usually these amendments make very minor corrections to the disclosures, but occasionally they can be wholesale changes, such as one Rep. Charles Rangel (D-N.Y.) filed recently.

We've added a link to the most recent member disclosure on our financial disclosures home page, or you can follow the link above. The recently added disclosures include late-filing senators and some recent amendments. We've also expanded our disclosures by adding past reports that Sen. Al Franken (D-Minn.) filed when he was a candidate.

Before he became a politician, Sen. Al Franken (D-Minn.) made at least $1 million a year salary as a comedian and author, according to his financial disclosure he filed when he first ran for the U.S. Senate. But Franken's first full financial disclosure as a sitting senator doesn't provide any insight into how much money he continues to take in royalties from television, film and book products.

The personal financial disclosure forms require all members of Congress to disclose any outside income. Franken appears to have gotten around that requirement because his income comes to a corporation, Alan Franken Inc., of which he is listed as president and joint owner.

The disclosure lists Alan Franken Inc. as "a multi media Professional Services Corporation including but not limited to writing, acting, producing and personal appearances in all film/video/digital/TV formats and all print media." Franken's stake in this corporation is listed between $500,000 and $1 million, and he does not report receiving any income from it in 2008.

LegiStorm has now completed upload of all senator financial disclosures.

Although they were not included in the release by the Senate this morning, we have filings from Al Franken, who filed only an extension, and Norm Coleman, who filed a termination report. The two remain locked in a legal battle for the Senate seat in Minnesota, with Franken, a Democrat, holding a narrow lead.

However, we do not have the disclosure for Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), who filed an extension but whose disclosure was accidentally left out of the Senate's release. We will post the extension and the actual financial disclosure as they become available.