Open Books 2.0 Passes Oklahoma House

For Immediate Release
March 2, 2010
Contact: Peter J. Rudy, Communications Director
(405) 606-6565
E-mail: press@ofrg.org

Open Books 2.0 Passes House
Bill will make more data available for public scrutiny

(Oklahoma City, OK) Oklahomans for Responsible Government commends the Oklahoma House of Representatives for today’s vote in favor of more transparency in state spending. House Bill 3422 by Rep. Ken Miller (R-Edmond) passed unanimously and now goes to the Senate for consideration.

The bill requires that the state’s current Open Books website be upgraded to include all expenditures no matter how small. It would also make the raw data available for downloading so that anyone can look through and sort the data as they see fit. Open Books would also become an archive of all past spending so that data from one year to the next can be compared.

“Open Books put Oklahoma at the forefront of state spending transparency, but since then, other states have moved ahead by providing more information,” said Brian Downs, OFRG Executive Director. “Open Books 2.0 will allow taxpayers to get a better idea of how their money is being spent by the state.”

The passage of HB 3422 comes on the same day that the House passed HB 3253 by Rep. Gus Blackwell (R-Goodwell) which will put all school district spending on the State Department of Education’s website.

“There’s no doubt that stories about school district funds and stimulus dollars being spent in questionable ways is shining a light on the need for more transparency in government,” said Downs. “Now, more than ever, taxpayers are demanding accountability and transparency and it’s good to see lawmakers are listening.”

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Oklahomans for Responsible Government is a non-profit organization dedicated to promoting fiscal responsibility, transparency, and accountability in state government. For more information, please visit www.ofrg.org.

What’s in your state budget?

In case you haven’t noticed, times are getting a little tight everywhere, and statehouses are really starting to feel the pain. If you share my philosophy, you’re interested in cutting the fat instead of cutting into my paycheck with higher taxes. And, like me, you may be a little intimidated by these massive documents.

Lucky for us, the hardworking team at Sunshine Review is doing some groundwork for us by documenting where problem spots are, and proposed solutions. And, of course, the articles will let you know how transparent each state is with its budget.

Check out the California state budget page for a good example of what these pages will look like.