Access to data is only part of the battle to maintain citizen oversight of government spending. Kansas agencies and departments classified $254.3 million in 2009 vendor payments as “confidential by law or legal authority.”

The Department of Transportation topped the list for state agencies with $49.8 million in confidential vendor payments. DOT spent $1.5 billion in fiscal year 2009.

The Department of Social and Rehabilitation Services was second with $36 million and the Kansas Health Policy Authority third with $27.7 million. The Health Care Stabilization Fund Board of Governors spent $26.4 in confidential vendor payments.

Twenty-one agencies spent more than one million dollars in confidential vendor payments with eight of those spending more than $10 million confidentially. State expenditures for 2009 totaled $20.7 billion.

Categories of expenses include 13 travel categories totaling more than $23.3 million in confidential payments for travel in and out of Kansas. The top three categories of confidential vendor payments included:

• Land and interest in land: $46.9 million
• Medical malpractice claims: $25.2 million
• Lottery prize claims: $19 million

Near the bottom of the list was $83.57 paid for motor oil, confidentially.

Vendor payments can be searched on KansasOpenGov.org