Bill > S1716

Introduced Session

This bill requires the State Treasurer to organize and publish certain State contract and grant data and information on a single, searchable Internet website. The bill requires the State Treasurer, in consultation with the Chief Technology Officer in the Office of Information Technology, to design and develop, operate, and maintain an Internet website with the capacity to retain and display data and information concerning State expenditures. The bill specifies that these State expenditures include but are not limited to purchases, contracts, or agreements and grants, awards, or loans paid with or out of State funds by or on behalf of a State agency. The bill directs that, on or before July 1, 2018, the State expenditure website will, at a minimum, be: (1) accessible through a link prominently displayed on the home page of the official website for the State of New Jersey; (2) available to the general public without charge for access; and (3) organized chronologically by State fiscal year, with additional consideration for type of expenditure and State agency involved with the expenditure of State funds. The website must also provide an opportunity for public input regarding its utility and recommendations for its improvement. The bill allows the State expenditure website to be updated or revised periodically, but stipulates that data and information made available must not be subject to removal. The bill also prohibits the State Treasurer from displaying data or information deemed private or confidential by State or federal law, rules, or regulations. For State fiscal years beginning on or after July 1, 2018, the bill requires the State Treasurer to utilize the website to publish notice of certain contracts and grants. In particular, the State Treasurer is required to publish notice of all purchases, contracts, or agreements and all grants, awards, or loans, the cost or contract price of which is to be paid with or out of State funds by or on behalf of a State agency. In providing notice of a purchase, contract, or agreement, the bill requires that the State Treasurer disclose: (1) the name and address of the entity contracting with the State; (2) the names of the principal officers and directors of the entity and, if the contracting entity is a subsidiary of another entity, the name and address of the parent entity and the names of its principal officers and directors; (3) a description of the goods and services provided; (4) the cost or price; (5) the beginning and termination dates; and (6) the State fund from which the contract is paid with or out of. The bill requires similar information be published for notice of all grants, awards, or loans. The development of a State expenditure Internet website is intended to provide State residents with an easily accessible and comprehensive "one stop" source for information on the expenditure of State funds. Similar to initiatives in more than a dozen states, the development of a single, searchable website for contract and grant data and information will improve transparency and accountability and simplify the process to access information concerning the allocation and spending of public tax dollars.

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Paul Moriarty (D)*, 

Introduced in the Senate, Referred to Senate Budget and Appropriations Committee (on 01/09/2024)

Official Document