The Oregonian reports that Secretary of State, Bill Bradbury, has created a panel to examine whether political non-profits should be required to disclose political contributions and expenditures under Oregon law.

The panel was empowered in response to a complaint made against Our Oregon, a union-backed group that is active in advocating for and against ballot initiatives and initiative petitions.

Our Oregon was recently cleared of wrongdoing following an investigation by the state elections division, and Oregon's Attorney General into whether or not they should have filed as a political action committee.

Good government groups contend that the ruling opened a hole in Oregon law that enables groups to circumvent laws governing disclosures of contributions and expenditures, a sentiment echoed by Bradbury.

"My fear, and the fear of many other people concerned about full campaign finance disclosure, is that campaign bankrollers are using this ambiguity in the law to stay hidden in the shadows," Bradbury said in a statement issued Friday. He added that state law doesn't provide standards for determining when disclosure requirements should kick in.