Congress State lawmakers often treat the legislature as a springboard to higher office.
Most folks prefer to keep their personal finances private.
But those who run for Congress have no choice but to bare their financial souls. Federal disclosure laws require candidates to publicly report detailed information about themselves and close family members, including salaries, investments, assets, corporate positions and debts. The Center for Public Integrity examined federal candidate disclosure statements filed by 52 of the 53 state legislators who are running for the U.S. House and Senate. One candidate, N.J. Democratic State Rep. Reed Gusciora of Princeton Boro, had not filed before Aug. 18. The Center found that many of those who filed had outside economic connections that might have drawn closer attention if they had been publicly revealed.