Louisiana state budget
From Sunshine Review
On November 12th, 2008, Louisiana announced the launch of its spending transparency database, LA Trac.[1] The database is now up and searchable.
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News
Spending transparency has come to Louisiana! Check out the new government spending database, LA Trac (Louisiana Accountability and Transparency). The database resulted from an executive order by Governor Jindal and the authorization of the legislature. As the Commissioner of Administration, Angele Davis, said, “This is an important event, an extraordinary step forward, and a historic reform initiative for Louisiana and its pursuit of better, more accountable government…Today we begin to empower four million citizen auditors to monitor what the state spends and to judge whether it’s wise, necessary, and achieving results.”[2]
Sign up for the www.showmethespending.org weekly transparency e-updates. As transparency news about Louisiana becomes available, it will be sent out by email and posted here.
Also, the new Taxpayers Union of Louisiana www.taxpayersoflouisiana.com was formed in the spring of 2008 aided by a "Standing Together" grant from the National Taxpayers Union. Founder, John Roberts, stated his belief that transparency in Louisiana's budget was a boon to the taxpayer and would help curtail much of the unnecessary spending so many in Louisiana have become accustomed to.
Legislation
- Louisiana Senate Bill 37 (2008) was passed in February 2008. The legislation will mandate the Commissioner of Administration to post a monthly report of the appropriations and spending for each budget unit of state government.
- Louisiana Executive Order BJ 2008-2[3]
Government Tools
The following table is helpful in evaluating the level of transparency provided by a state spending and transparency database:
| State Database | Searchability | Grants | Contracts | Line Item Expenditures | Dept/Agency Budgets | Public Employee Salary | Exemption Level |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| LaTrac |  | | | |  | | |
Limitations and Suggestions for Improvements
Some of the information in LaTrac lacks the specificity some users would like, but every appropriation is listed payable to the entity by name, i.e. Avoyelles Parish School Board. That said, Louisiana is in the process of updating its current software systems, and improvements to LA Trac will continue to be made pending those software upgrades.[4]
LaPAS
The Louisiana Performance Accountability System (LaPAS) is electronic database that tracks performance standards, interim quarterly performance targets, and actual performance information for Louisiana's Executive Branch departments and agencies.
Departments and agencies are required to submit quarterly Performance Progress Reports to LaPAS via a web-based application. The Office of Planning and Budget (OPB) in the Division of Administration, as the official record keeper of performance standards and information, maintains LaPAS.
Support for creation of the database
Louisiana's Governor Bobby Jindal and the state legislature supported the creation of the database.
The Pelican Institute applauded Bobby Jindal for LA Trac, but the group says there's more to be done. Their suggestions include requiring "every municipality, parish and school board to put its budget online. Those who pay the local government bills should also be able to see how their tax dollars are being spent. And the costs involved in creating these websites are surprisingly modest."
Independent transparency sites
None.
Public employee salary information
None.
External links
- Louisiana Accountability and Transparency website
- Pelican Institute for Public Policy
- Taxpayers Union of Louisiana
- Louisiana Office of Planning and Budget
- Louisiana Legislature Website
- Louisiana House of Representatives
- Louisiana State Senate
- Louisiana state budget news
- Louisiana government website
References
- ↑ Louisiana Division of Administration, "State government launches online spending database," November 12, 2008
- ↑ Louisiana Division of Administration, "State government launches online spending database," November 12, 2008
- ↑ Louisiana Executive Order BJ 2008-2
- ↑ Forbes.com, "New database to show how Louisiana money spent," November 13, 2008
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