Presbyterians Work with Anti-Corruption Group

The Louisville-based Presbyterian Church USA is bolstering its partnership with an anti-corruption organization called Publish What You Pay. WFPL’s Elizabeth Kramer has more.Last year, the Presbyterian Church USA joined Publish What You Pay. It’s a group of organizations combating fraud in developing countries by urging governments to disclose revenues from the oil, gas and mining industries. The move made the church the first denomination to partner with Publish What You Pay.This week, the group’s Sarah Pray is in Louisville urging church members and others to support its efforts. She says the Presbyterians decision to join the cause was significant."That’s extremely powerful," Pray says, "because you have a million members there who can hopefully can get involved in this cause and what a tremendous influence that could potentially have."Pray says the partnership with the church has already been effective in encouraging legislation in this country."Here in Kentucky, the local Presbyterians wrote to Congressman John Yarmuth asking him to co-sponsor in the last Congress, and he did as a direct consequence," she says.The legislation required new reporting standards for the oil, gas and mining industries listed on the Securities and Exchange Commission. Although it died in the last Congress, Pray says her group and the church are lobbying to have it reduced in the next Congress.