COEUR d’ALENE — Sen. Mary Souza, R-Coeur d’Alene, has succeeded in her efforts to bring more transparency to public official compensation. Gov. Butch Otter signed S1274 into law Monday after the bill sailed through both chambers of the Idaho legislature without a single vote cast in opposition.

The bill changes current law to make bonuses, severance packages, other compensation, or vouchered and unvouchered expenses for which reimbursement was paid to a public official open to public requests for information. The bill also requires that public agencies designate at least one person to serve as custodian for such public records requests, and exempts Social Security numbers and driver’s license numbers from disclosure.

Souza said, “I’m just pleased that we’re able to work together — the attorney general’s office, the media, and the legislature — to create the types of laws that really work for everyone.”

She added, “Everyone said these were things that should’ve been part of the law all along.”

The Coeur d’Alene Press took legal action against Coeur d’Alene School District last year to procure compensation records for former superintendent Matt Handelman and then-acting superintendent Trina Caudle. Only after repeated requests for disclosure were the records finally made public.