BILL REQ. #:  S-4644.1 

Read first time 01/24/08.   Referred to Committee on Ways & Means.

     AN ACT Relating to transparency in state expenditures; adding a new section to chapter 43.88 RCW; and creating a new section.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:

NEW SECTION.  Sec. 1   The intent of the legislature, by enacting section 2 of this act, is to make state revenue and expenditure data as open, transparent, and publicly accessible as possible. Increasing the ease of public access to state budget data, particularly where the data are currently available from disparate internal government sources but are difficult for the public to collect and efficiently aggregate, significantly contributes to governmental accountability, public participation, agency efficiency, and open government.

NEW SECTION.  Sec. 2   A new section is added to chapter 43.88 RCW to read as follows:
     By January 1, 2009, the office of financial management shall establish and make available to the public a state expenditure information web site. The state expenditure information web site shall contain the following information for the prior fiscal year, with the data in each of the following categories linked to the other categories:
(1) State expenditures by fund or account;
(2) State expenditures by agency, program, subprogram, and budget activity;
(3) State revenues by source;
      (4) State expenditures by revenue source;
(5) State expenditures by budget object and subobject; and
      (6) State agency workloads, caseloads, performance measurements, and recent performance audits.
     "State agency," as used in this section, includes every state agency, office, board, commission, or institution of the executive, legislative, or judicial branches.
     The state expenditure information web site shall be updated periodically as subsequent fiscal year data become available, and the prior year expenditure data shall be maintained as a historical database, with links to the ten-year budget data maintained by the legislative evaluation and accountability program committee under chapter 44.48 RCW.