How much is that congressman worth?

Publication: The Miami Herald

Lesley Clark
May 13, 2008

The Sunlight Foundation is making it a little easier to find out. The open government advocacy group has launched a new web site Fortune 535 to let constituents see "how much - or how little -" lawmakers' wealth has grown in the last 11 years - the period of time from which lawmakers' personal financial data is available.

The figures carry an asterisk: "Because they are only required to report their assets and liabilities in ranges, the true net worth for lawmakers is not always readily apparent from analyzing the the forms they file...."

"The disclosure system is so flawed that you can't tell whether a member of Congress is a multimillionaire or in debt," said Sunlight director Ellen Miller. "Unfortunately, we learned that it is impossible, given the state of congressional personal financial disclosure practices, to calculate the precise net worth lawmakers."

In Florida, the foundation ranks Rep. Vern Buchanan, R-Sarasota, as the richest with a whopping $191 million. Rep. Alcee Hastings, D-Miramar, who is still carrying legal bills from his impeachment trial in the 1980s, is ranked last with a negative balance of nearly $5 million