NJ lawmaker fights to put state spending online
From Sunshine Review
28 December 2008
Sen. Joe Pennacchio (Morris Plains) wants New Jersey taxpayers to be able to easily track every penny the state spends. Over a year ago he introduced the Transparency in Government Act in the Assembly, and, upon becoming a senator, introduced it in that body. It has yet to move out of committee in either house.[1]
[edit] Lack of transparency
Many critics have found New Jersey lacking in the field of transparency. Currently the Treasury's website contains some information, including a "Citizen's guide to the budget," but has no details on revenues and expenditures, and is not updated in real time.
Pennacchio's proposal aims to change that - "Whenever the state spends one dime of taxpayer money, it has to put it on a user-friendly Web site. That way everybody can see where their money is being spent. It's bringing transparency into the 21st century, making it easier for taxpayers to see how that money is being spent."[1]
[edit] Precedents and support
About a dozen states, including Texas, have created similar websites, with numerous reports that opening up financial data has allowing for the elimination of wasteful spending. The proposed site for New Jersey is based on the one created in Kansas.
Co-sponsoring the proposal is Senate Republican Leader Tom Kean Jr. He stated, "With a growing budget deficit, New Jersey needs commonsense solutions to get more value out of every dollar spent and insure accountability from Trenton."[1]
Backing the move is Grover Norquist, president of the Americans for Tax Reform, who called the measure "a prophylactic, it stops bad stuff from happening." He explained, "The idea of transparency, taking information that is legally public information, and putting it out in a way people can actually get to it. If you just put it out without a search engine, it's like handing someone a 1,000-page book and telling them there's cool stuff inside if they can find it and if they have 20 hours to go look through it."[1]
