Included in Gov. Bev Perdue's newly announced government accountability reforms is a detailed, two-page application for state board appointees that requires them to disclose criminal conduct, conflicts of interest, references and other valuable information.

Perdue called the application part of a "new process requiring full disclosure of an applicant's background" that she put into place through an executive order she signed on Monday.

But the "full disclosure" is only to the governor. Those applications will not be made public because of North Carolina's personnel law, Dan Kane reports.

"Legal counsel has advised that the new application — as was the prior application — will be a part of the personnel file that is confidential," said Chrissy Pearson, Perdue's communications director.

That means someone with a criminal background, for example, could become a political appointee and the public would have a difficult time obtaining that information. Nor would they know if a major fundraiser, political party official or powerful special interest recommended an appointee.

North Carolina has one of the most secretive personnel laws in the nation, a recent News & Observer series, Keeping Secrets, found. The law prevents the public from finding out about pay and employment histories, as well as details on disciplinary actions and hiring decisions.