LANSING – In a move to increase transparency and accountability in government, State Representative Vicki Barnett (D-Farmington Hills) has voted to pass legislation that will shine a light on the way the state spends taxpayer dollars. The plan now heads to the Senate.
"These measures will increase transparency and make government more accessible to our residents," Barnett said. "The state already runs an award-winning Web site that helps thousands of residents every day, and with this new addition, it will be even better."
Under the plan passed today, an easy-to-use, publicly accessible Web site that details state spending would be created. The Web site would include state expenditures broken down by department, wages being paid to state employees, state contracts, the executive budget and annual reports. Under the terms of the plan, the site must be up and running by Oct. 1.
The site will not reveal any information protected by confidentiality laws at the state and federal levels. State employees whose wages are disclosed will not be identified by name, only by job title.
"We should be taking advantage of the technology available to us to help residents see how we are spending their tax dollars," Barnett said. "By creating this site that will keep track of the spending in each state department, we can open up government for our residents. I'm glad that we've seen such strong bipartisan support for this plan, and I hope that the Senate will move quickly on this issue."