Maryland Earns “C” in New Report on Transparency of Government Spending
Annapolis, April 13 – Maryland got a “C” when it comes to openness about government spending, according to FOLLOWING THE MONEY: How the 50 States Rate in Providing Online Access to Government Spending Data” released on Tuesday.
“The good news is that state governments have become far more transparent about where the money goes,” Said Phineas Baxandall, Senior Analyst for Tax and Budget Policy for Maryland PIRG, “Even though Maryland is considered #1 in transparency of ARRA spending, Maryland still has lots of room for improvement in terms of other government spending.”
FOLLOWING THE MONEY found that 32 states provide an online database of government expenditures with “checkbook-level” detail. The best state transparency tools are highly searchable, and include detailed information about government contracts, tax subsidies and special grants to businesses.
An example of a leading state transparency web tool is Open Door Kentucky which allows visitors to easily search view contracts past and present, to search by contractor or type of activity contracted for, with explanations of the purpose of individual contracts. Tax subsidies and economic development grants are included, as are expenditures by some quasi-public agencies. Similarly, the state of Illinois’ Corporate Accountability Project tracks grants given to companies for job creation – and provides yearly reports signed by the companies of how many jobs were actually created.
States with top-flight transparency websites are saving money, restoring public confidence in government, and preventing misspending and pay-to-play contracts. States that have created online transparency have done so with little upfront cost.
The leading states with the most open spending are: Kentucky, Ohio, Illinois, Minnesota, Texas, Missouri and Pennsylvania. Maryland’s transparency site is spending.dbm.maryland.gov. The report ranks Maryland as “emerging” but still not a leader due to serious deficiencies.
“Given the current severity of our budget problems, Marylanders need to be confident that they can follow the money,” added Baxandall.
