(CONCORD) The New Hampshire Senate has approved a bill that would require state officials to post online any payments made by state government. The bill, SB 359, cleared the full Senate on a voice vote yesterday, and now heads to the Senate Finance Committee.
Sen. Sharon Carson
“It’s a step in the right direction,” argued lead sponsor Senator Sharon Carson (R-Londonderry). “We need to make sure that everything that we do on behalf of our constituents is transparent and that they can see where we are spending their tax dollars.
New Hampshire’s Department of Revenue Administration posts the state’s updated revenue figures at the beginning of every month. In January, Governor John Lynch announced that he would require monthly spending reports as well, but did not specify whether the reports would include total spending by agency, or a detailed transaction register (DTA). The DTA is essentially a copy of the state treasurer’s checkbook, showing every dollar flowing from state coffers.
The State of Nebraska has posted detailed information about all state revenues, expenditures, and contracts at NebraskaSpending.gov. New Hampshire Treasurer Cathy Provencher pointed to the Nebraska site as a model for other states during New Hampshire Watchdog’s in-depth series “Can New Hampshire Pay Its Bills?” earlier this winter.
