According to Government Bytes, the official National Taxpayers Union blog, South Dakota governor Mike Rounds recently placed the state’s budget and expenditures online on a new Open South Dakota website. According to the site, citizens can
review state government spending, current salaries of individual state employees, financial documents, vendor information, and listings of job classifications. You can also follow easy links to local government information websites.
Sounds great… but here’s an interesting little background nugget from NTU…
Back in January, State Representative Hal Wick, who received the American Legislative Exchange Council’s prestigious Legislator of the Year Award in 2006, had introduced transparency legislation. The legislation gained approval from the house and senate, only to be vetoed by Governor Mike Rounds in March (even then, the house still overrode the veto, although the senate did not). Why would Governor Rounds veto this bill, and then decide to launch a transparency website just six months later?
Face it- transparency is a great issue for the predictable crowd of taxpayers, ethics gurus, citizen journalists, government wonks, and anyone wanting to do business with the state… but it’s also a political goldmine. Why? Because it’s the right thing to do, easy to accomplish, somewhat insulates candidates on ethics issues (whether they need it or not), and it pays political dividends for years to come.
Nevada Transparency Sites
15 September, 2008
Sometimes when an idea is good once, it’s better twice- which is the case with Nevada’s new transparency websites.
The Nevada Policy Research Institute launched TransparentNevada.com this week, which includes searchable county and state financial data such as purchasing contracts, budgets, government employee salaries, lobbying expenses. The site also includes some departmental expenditures (education, transportation, and Health and Human Services), and a blog.
Nevada Governor Jim Gibbons hopped on the transparency bandwagon, forcing transparency by executive order last March. Nevada Open Government should be up and running soon, and will include searchable budgets, expenditures, contracts, and grants. If you go to the site now, you are greeted with links to miscellaneous financial data and reports.
These two websites will hopefully mean double trouble for the state’s tax-eaters and rent-seekers.
Georgia state transparency website
27 August, 2008
Georgia’s Secretary of State, Karen Handel, announced the launch of the Transparency in Government Initiative website this week. Although it currently only hosts the Georgia Secretary of State’s Fiscal Year 2009 budget, Secretary Handel’s campaign and personal finance disclosures, and the Georgia Secretary of State’s Office Ethics Policy, Secretary Handel promises to include expenditures very soon. Let’s hope they will be in a searchable database format.
Read more about the site at ShowMeTheSpending.org, Atlanta Business Chronicle, and Americans for Tax Reform.
Illinois new rallying cry: Ethics Here. Ethics Now.
25 August, 2008
As the old saying goes, the more things change, the more things stay the same. Such is the case in Illinois, which has some of the most lax ethics laws in the nation. HB824 is a painstakingly crafted piece of legislation that took eons of negotiation and compromise to pass both houses of the IL legislature. Now, Governor Rod Blagojevich plans to re-write the legislation using his amendatory veto powers. Most people believe this will result in the legislature rejecting the changes and zero legislation being passed. After countless news stories of ethical lapses from government officials, some elected officials are not letting the legislation go down without a fight.
State Treasurer Alexi Giannoulias (D) weighed in with a Tribune op-ed last Friday with a strong piece urging the governor’s signature on the legislation.
The legislation places campaign contribution limits on individuals and businesses that receive state contracts and requires more disclosure and transparency from those bidders who do business with the state.
It passed unanimously out of both chambers of the General Assembly earlier this year.
…
We’ve heard the promises, the sound-bite slogans and empty rhetoric. We’ve endured the headline pandering and witnessed the corruption that has resulted from inaction.Pay-to-play politics demonstrates that you can put a price tag on corruption and it’s a cost Illinois can no longer afford. We’re ready for reform.
Rep. John Fritchey (D) blogged this unflattering prediction of Blagojevich’s actions:
There is little to no doubt that the Governor is going to AV the bill. And there is little to no doubt that his actions will result in widespread criticism. So what do you do if you’re the Governor?
I’m guessing that you AV the bill while everybody is focused on the Democratic Convention, while most of the major political reporters who are familiar with the story are half a country away, and while stories of Barack’s nomination are taking up most of the media space. I’ll even predict a Thursday or even Friday announcement of his action, so as to provide for maximum story burial potential, under the shadow of Barack’s acceptance speech.
So while many Illinois Democrats hope to ride Barack’s coattails, it looks like the Governor will try to hide behind them. It may be a good political move, but a profile in courage it isn’t.
If you doubt IL is in need of ethics legislation, here is a small sample of just today’s headlines:
Sun Timesand Daily Herald
Texas: Transparency Utopia?
22 August, 2008
Texas is serving as the model of state transparency efforts. According to a guest column on GoSanAngelo.com, Texas has achieved the following benchmarks in the fight for transparency:
- posting state budget information online in a user-friendly format
- streaming video of live House and Senate proceedings
- passage of multiple bills related to transparency and accountability
- Gov. Rick Perry signed an Executive Order in 2005 requiring school districts to post their check registers online if they failed to meet certain spending criteria
- Texas legislators, working in tandem with the governor’s office, enacted the “Truth-in-Taxation” bill in 2005
- Texas Comptroller Susan Combs has converted the state’s massive budget into a user-friendly package with the introduction of “Where the Money Goes,” which saved more than $2.3 million in her agency alone
- The Texas Public Policy Foundation recently launched a new Web site, TexasBudgetSource.com, which supplements “Where the Money Goes” with detailed budget analysis of state expenditures over the past 20 years, links to the online check registers of more than 150 Texas school districts, and lists of counties and cities that have posted their budget information online and more
Aiding the above efforts is a new kid on the block, Texas Watchdog. According to its website, Texas Watchdog is a news Web site and training center that scrutinizes the actions of government agencies, bureaucracies and politicians in Texas. It is an independent, nonpartisan entity founded on the belief that our American democracy depends on transparency in government.
All of this good government in a huge state like Texas just tells me one thing… 49 states have some ’splainin’ to do.
Louisiana Transparency: Still under construction
21 August, 2008
Although Louisiana has become Ground Zero for transparency progress, there is still a long way to go until state and local governments can really develop a reputation for clean and efficient government. After reading local LA news, I have a couple of suggestions for any public servant’s transparency “to do” list.
#1- Develop written procedures and guidelines for government credit cards BEFORE waste and theft occur. Audit statements monthly.
Example you should not follow: Mandeville Mayor Eddie Price has recently found himself in hot water (again) when an audit found he had misused his city credit card to purchase private vacations and other personal expenditures. Some city councilmen commented publicly that they had no knowledge these expenditures were taking place. My solution? Put all expenditures online for journalists, taxpayers, and even the city council members to scrutinize and take a proactive stance against corruption and sneaky spending with public funds.
#2- Give public information to the public, with or without request. No questions, no excuses.
Example you should not follow: Robert Morgan of TheTownTalk.com points out in a recent column that government employees often do not understand basic open records law, and may choose to delay the delivery of requested documents in error. Mr. Morgan names names in his article, citing examples from Rapides Parish Schools and the city of Alexandria.
I will continue to watch Louisiana’s media and new media for updates on how they are finding their way to the land of milk, honey, and open government.
Why be transparent? More influence for less money.
29 July, 2008
The Shreveport Times printed an op-ed from Ernest LeBlanc Jr., director of the Louisiana Budget Project, applauding Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal for his work on new transparency legislation. The piece also did a good job spelling out why transparency is important to all citizens.
From the article:
The budget is one part of state government that can seem overwhelming and hard to understand, but state spending directly affects the present and future of each Louisianan.
# State spending affects teacher’s pay raises. Quality teachers provide quality education for our students, who will take what they learn in the classroom into their future as the leaders of our state.
# State spending affects health care access for low- and moderate-income families, who have a better chance of lifting themselves out of poverty if they are healthy.
# State spending affects work force development, and a strong work force attracts business and industry that in turn provides jobs and boosts our economy.
LeBlanc also mentions that citizens that know and understand government can have more influence in policymaking. More influence for less of my tax dollars? That’s change all taxpayers can believe in.
SC Opening Medicaid Payments to Taxpayers
24 July, 2008
During most state’s budgeting time, politicians, good government organizations, the press, and interest groups often toss around huge numbers regarding the ever-increasing costs of health care services. Most of the time, taxpayers have no idea where these numbers come from, who these health care providers are, and how much each is actually paid for their services.
South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford is attempting to make that data accessible to the public through a transparency initiative that includes placing state Medicaid payments online.
GreenvilleOnline.com reports:
The move by DHHS, which administers the $5.4 billion Medicaid program, is part of an initiative by Gov. Mark Sanford to improve government transparency. It also will help DHHS locate “unusual billing patterns.”
Another site inaugurated this year lets taxpayers see administrative expenditures.
Aside from nursing homes and doctors, the site also provides information about dentists, hospitals and any of the other nearly 30,000 health care providers in South Carolina who participate in the Medicaid program. It includes their reimbursements as well as the number of patients they saw. More than 800,000 South Carolinians receive Medicaid, the health insurance program for the poor and disabled.
The database can be viewed here, through the SC DHHS website.
Gov. Sanford, a potential VP candidate for John McCain, is on the right track on this issue.
Waiting on transparency for Reform Michigan Now
19 July, 2008
The Detroit News yesterday questioned the Reform Michigan Now ballot committee for refusing to come forward with the groups sponsoring its proposition. A PowerPoint presentation on a union website suggests who these backers are- the Michigan Dem Party and organized labor. A spokesman for Reform Michigan Now stated its financial backers would be revealed in August, or only when legally required.
From the Detroit News:
To date, backers of the effort and Democratic Party leaders have refused to say who wrote the controversial proposal and who is bankrolling it [though p]arts of the plan definitely favor Democrats over Republicans.
…
“To the extent that this document is what it appears to be, it leaves little doubt that the (ballot proposal) is a partisan power play,” according to Paul Kersey, director of labor policy at the Mackinac Center for Public Policy, a Midland-based free-market oriented think tank that found the PowerPoint presentation on UAW Region 1-C Web site. The presentation, whose title page says “Changing the rules of politics in Michigan to help Democrats,” is no longer on the Web site.
…
“Transparency of who is leading the effort is important for voters, which is not publicly known right now,” Richard Blouse Jr., president and CEO of the Detroit chamber, said in a press release. “The business community certainly recognizes the need for reforms in state government, especially when it comes to solving the problems of chronic budget deficits. However, it’s important to be up front about these reforms so they can be fully vetted through open debate.”
Call me crazy, but shouldn’t transparency be part of any real reform measure? If this proposal is really about smaller, smarter government, give us full, factual information on who is crafting and sponsoring it and let the results benefit TAXPAYERS, not the Democrat Party.
ALEC to EFF: Mind if we borrow that?
2 July, 2008
The American Legislators Exchange Council (ALEC) recently gave thumbs up to the Evergreen Freedom Foundation’s model language aimed at opening up government labor negotiations to the public. The language would expand existing Open Meetings laws to include contract negotiations that include taxpayer dollars.
From ALEC’s presser:
The model bill is the latest to apply a greater degree of transparency to public meetings. While all states have some form of open public meetings laws, only 13 allow for some form of transparency for government labor negotiations. The ALEC model language would expand state open meetings laws to encompass these negotiations, which include public officials and public employees discussing public contracts funded with public money.
The suggested language also clarifies that documents exchanged during collective bargaining negotiation sessions are available for disclosure to the public. The bill recommends the establishment of a state government website to act as a clearinghouse for the public to access copies of all public-sector collective bargaining agreements.
More transparency for tax dollars- who can be against that?
