May 7, 2009
Susan Kniep, President
The
Federation of Connecticut Taxpayer Organizations
Website: http://ctact.org/
Email: fctopresident@aol.com
Telephone: 860-841-8032
Put Connecticut’s Checkbook Register On Line
TAXPAYERS THROUGHOUT THE COUNTRY ARE SAYING ….
IT’S OUR MONEY!
AND WE WANT TRANSPARENCY NOW!
The Federation of Connecticut Taxpayer Organizations, Inc.
encourages all taxpayers to lobby the Governor and their State Legislators to
place Connecticut’s
check book register on line. We suggest
that other transparency tools, as noted below, should also be utilized, to
include the transparency of state employee salaries. We also encourage taxpayers to make similar
proposals for transparency in their own municipalities.
Please Check our website for periodic
updates.
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Taxpayer demands for transparency have been heard in Washington and in many
states throughout the country.
In 2006, Congress passed the 2006 Federal Funding
Accountability and Transparency Act which resulted in the development of the
website http://www.usaspending.gov/
. This website contains cost information
relating to Federal contracts and grants in excess of $25,000.
The Federal government has developed the website www.recovery.gov to provide transparency of Federal stimulus
projects by State and municipal recipients under the American Recovery and
Reinvestment Act (ARRA) .
But many states are going beyond the electronic reporting of
federal stimulus funding. They have put
their checkbook registers on line so that their constituents can scrutinize all
state revenues and expenses.
In 2008, the State of Kansas
launched KanView: Kansas
Revenues and Expenditures Search described as “the
online solution that brings better visibility, openness, and accessibility to
state government financial activity for Kansas
taxpayers”. Some Kansas
legislators are also promoting placing the check book registers of Kansas schools on
line.
The following states provide State Checkbooks on Line. These vehicles offer interactive and
searchable online databases which display state revenues and expenses by fiscal
year. Each state can be accessed by a
click of your mouse.
Other Budget Allocation
Tools by states allow citizens to view the state’s current budget,
adjust spending levels, and submit recommendations to the governor’s office.
Again, each state can be accessed by a click of your mouse.
States providing the Open Books
Format give their taxpayers an expanded view of
state financials. Tools vary and may
include a description of the budgeting process, appropriation information,
annual and monthly spending by agency, and types of expenses – including
employee salaries.
Several States are working on programs to bring
Accountability and Transparency to their constituents or expanding on what they
already offer.
Missouri
Recently, State officials in Missouri enacted legislation under HB 544,
to provide taxpayers with greater accountability and direct access to state
funding. According to the Legislation,
the State’s "Joint Committee on Recovery Accountability and Transparency",
will coordinate and conduct oversight of covered funds to prevent fraud, waste,
and abuse. The commissioner of
administration shall maintain the Missouri accountability portal established in
executive order 07-24 as a free, Internet-based tool allowing citizens to
demand fiscal discipline and responsibility; The Missouri accountability portal shall consist of an easy-to-search
database of financial transactions related to the purchase of goods and
services and the distribution of funds for state programs; The Missouri accountability
portal shall be updated each state business day and maintained as the primary
source of information about the activity of Missouri’s government. The following link will provide you direct
access to HB 544. http://www.house.mo.gov/billtracking/bills091/biltxt/truly/HB0544T.HTM
.
Colorado
The State of Colorado
has also provided transparency through HB 1288.
Although line item information may not be readily available, taxpayers
will be able to search the State’s website to gain greater insight into how
their money is being spent. The following link will provide you direct
access to HB 1288 http://www.leg.state.co.us/clics/clics2009a/csl.nsf/fsbillcont3/1FA3FA03152B42CC87257552006D7E3F?open&file=1288_rer.pdf
Pennsylvania
The State Legislature is also
considering spending transparency. See Pennsylvania SB 105 Taxpayer Transparency Act
Other states to include Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Montana, Ohio, Oregon, Virginia, and Wyoming
are considering transparency mechanisms for their constituents.
The Federation will be updating this list as information is
researched and received.
If you are familiar with a state not on this list, please
let us know.
If you would like to become involved in attempting to get Connecticut’s Checkbook
Register on line, please contact fctopresident@aol.com