BILL REQ. #:  H-0846.4 

Read first time 02/06/13.   Referred to Committee on Government Operations & Elections.

     AN ACT Relating to transparency in state capital and transportation budget appropriations and expenditures; amending RCW 44.48.150; 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 is to make state capital budget and transportation budget appropriation and expenditure data as transparent and easy to use by the public as is feasible. It is important to provide information to the public on state capital and transportation investments by legislative district and county in a format that is easy to navigate and comprehend. Providing such information contributes to governmental accountability, public participation, agency efficiency, and open government.

Sec. 2   RCW 44.48.150 and 2008 c 326 s 2 are each amended to read as follows:
     (1) By January 1, 2009, in collaboration with the office of financial management, using existing databases and structures currently shared, the office of the legislative evaluation and accountability program committee shall establish and make available to the public a searchable state expenditure information web site. The state expenditure information web site shall provide access to current budget data, access to current accounting data for budgeted expenditures and staff, and access to historical data. At a minimum, the web site will provide access or links to the following information as data are available:
     (a) State expenditures by fund or account;
     (b) State expenditures by agency, program, and subprogram;
     (c) State revenues by major source;
     (d) State expenditures by object and subobject;
     (e) State agency workloads, caseloads, and performance measures, and recent performance audits; and
     (f) State agency budget data by activity.
     (2) "State agency," as used in this section, includes every state agency, office, board, commission, or institution of the executive, legislative, or judicial branches, including institutions of higher education.
     (3) 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 by the legislative evaluation and accountability program committee as part of its ten-year historical budget data.
     (4) By January 1, 2014, current and future capital project and transportation project investments must be coded with the geographic information sufficient to permit the public to search and identify appropriation and expenditure data at the parent and subproject level to the extent available by:
     (a) State legislative district;
     (b) County; and
     (c) Agency project identifier.
     (5) The office of the legislative evaluation and accountability program committee must, within existing resources, update the state expenditure information web site to allow the public to search for capital budget and transportation projects by selecting from an online geographical map. The map must allow an in-depth examination of financial and other data associated with such projects. Data elements must include:
     (a) Project title;
     (b) Total appropriation;
     (c) Project description;
     (d) Expenditure data; and
     (e) Administering agency.
     (6) The web site must be easy to use, contain current and readily available data, and allow for review and analysis by the public. The legislative evaluation and accountability program committee must test the web site with potential users to ensure that it is easy to navigate and comprehend.

NEW SECTION.  Sec. 3   A new section is added to chapter 43.88 RCW to read as follows:
     (1) The office of financial management must establish objectives and performance measures for capital budget and transportation budget investments. Performance measures must include jobs created or retained when available. Other performance measures may include habitat restored, schools built or modernized, fish barriers removed, prison beds, higher education facilities built, energy renovations, state structures maintained, bridges repaired, highways built, as well as other measures.
     (2) The performance measures established in subsection (1) of this section must be reported on the state expenditure information web site described in RCW 44.48.150.