Lawmakers Seek Extensions on Financial Disclosures
Both the House and Senate released Members’ annual financial disclosures Friday — including details about their bank accounts, stock holdings, loans and mortgages — but once again dozens of lawmakers failed to meet the May 15 filing deadline, requesting extensions in many cases until mid-August.
In the House, 64 lawmakers, or nearly 15 percent of the chamber, requested additional time to file their annual reports. Similarly, 17 Senators sought extensions for reporting their 2008 financial information.
Among those Senators who have yet to file, a dozen received the maximum 90-day extension until Aug. 13: Sens. Chris Dodd (D-Conn.), Bob Corker (R-Tenn.), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.), Jim Webb (D-Va.), Mark Warner (D-Va.), Mark Udall (D-Colo.), James Risch (R-Idaho), Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), Claire McCaskill (D-Mo.), Frank Lautenberg (D-N.J.), Bob Bennett (R-Utah) and Daniel Inouye (D-Hawaii).
In addition, Sens. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.) and Kit Bond (R-Mo.) received extensions until June 15 and Sen. Pat Roberts (R-Kan.) was given until July 14 to file.
Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) received an extension to June 5, but his reports were not included in the documents released by the Senate Office of Public Records on Friday. The financial reports, which are reviewed by the Senate Ethics Committee, are not typically released to the public until several weeks after they are submitted.
Although the number of late filers dropped slightly in the House from last year, a higher number of Members received longer grace periods, including 18 lawmakers who must now file by mid-August and another 10 who received extensions into July. The remainder received late May or June deadlines.
In 2008, 13 lawmakers received August extensions, while nine were granted July deadlines.
The lawmakers set to file in August are Reps. Paul Broun (R-Ga.), Dan Burton (R-Ind.), Charlie Dent (R-Pa.), Randy Forbes (R-Va.), Jim Gerlach (R-Pa.), Alan Grayson (D-Fla.), Luis Guttierez (D-Ill.), John Hall (D-N.Y.), Gregg Harper (R-Miss.), Paul Hodes (D-N.H.), Jack Kingston (R-Ga.), Kenny Marchant (R-Texas), Scott Murphy (D-N.Y.), Ed Perlmutter (D-Colo.), Jared Polis (D-Colo.), Pete Stark (D-Calif.), Ellen Tauscher (D-Calif.) and Lynn Westmoreland (R-Ga.).
Under House rules mandated by the Ethics in Government Act of 1978, Members and senior staff must file financial disclosures by May 15, but the House Committee on Standards of Official Conduct “may grant reasonable extensions of time for the filing.—