Bill > A3775

Introduced Session

This bill, designated as the "Transparency in Government Act," provides for the establishment of a State public finance Internet website, establishes a public finance transparency committee, requires certain public entities receiving State funds to establish similar Internet websites, and provides for the appropriation of State funds to provide resources to offset certain additional direct expenditures that may be required to be made by public entities to plan, implement, and maintain a public finance Internet website. The bill provides that the State Treasurer, in consultation with the Chief Technology Officer of the Office of Information Technology in the Department of the Treasury, is required to design, develop, and maintain a single, searchable State Internet website that retains and displays certain data and information pertaining to the State's annual revenues, expenditures, and total bonded indebtedness. The bill specifies that the State Treasurer must design and develop the State Internet website on January 1, 2013, and must maintain and operate that site, without charge for access, each year thereafter. The bill specifies that the State Internet website must include data and information pertaining to the State's annual revenues, expenditures, and total bonded indebtedness for fiscal year 2013 and each year thereafter, and must include data and information pertaining to the State's annual revenues, expenditures, and total bonded indebtedness not later than 45 days after the last day of the preceding fiscal year. The bill specifies that the State Treasurer is not required to provide data and information on the website of the kind that is not available in the central accounting system and the State payroll system at the time the website is implemented, and is not required to disclose information deemed private, personal, or confidential by State or federal law. The bill specifies that data or information posted on the State Internet website may be periodically updated, but is not subject to removal. The bill specifies further that the State Internet website must include a link or otherwise provide the general public with a means to access the Internet websites required to be established by public entities as a result of the bill. The bill provides for the establishment of the Public Finance Transparency Committee in the Department of the Treasury. The bill specifies that the committee is comprised of nine members, including the State Treasurer, the Chief Technology Officer, the Director of the Division of Budget and Accounting in the Department of the Treasury, two cabinet-level officers appointed by the Governor, and four public members. The bill specifies that the public members of the committee will serve without compensation, but may be reimbursed for certain necessary expenses. The bill specifies that it is the duty of the committee to advise, consult, and coordinate with the State Treasurer and the Chief Technology Officer to improve and expand upon the scope, content, and format of the State Internet website. The bill specifies further that it is the duty of the committee to seek the advice of and receive feedback from the general public and certain experts with knowledge of and interest in areas of public information access, gateway services, add-on services, and electronic information for the general improvement of the State public finance Internet website, and to issue an annual report. The bill requires certain other public entities, including counties, municipalities, State or local authorities, school boards and other instrumentality of the State, that receive direct grants or funds from the State during any fiscal year to, within 180 after the date the State public finance Internet website is required to be made available, and prior to the receipt of any additional funds in the next fiscal year, present a detailed plan to the State Treasurer for an Internet website that will be provided by the public entity and readily accessible to the general public without charge for access. The bill specifies that these public finance websites will be required to show in detail data and information regarding total annual expenditures, total annual funds received, and total bonded indebtedness of the public entity required to design and develop a website. The bill specifies that once a detailed plan for an Internet website has been submitted by a public entity and has been reviewed and accepted by the State Treasurer, the entity will have 90 days to implement the plan for the Internet website and have it readily available to the general public without charge. The bill specifies certain actions that may be taken by the State Treasurer if a detailed plan for an Internet website that is submitted for review is in need of certain changes, and specifies certain actions that may be taken by the State Treasurer if a detailed plan for an Internet website that is submitted for review is wholly unacceptable. The bill requires the State Treasurer to develop a template and to provide access to or use of any software that may be necessary for a public entity to use to retain and display any data and information required to be made publicly available. The bill specifies that once public entities are in receipt of the template and any software provided by the State Treasurer, the public entities are responsible to update information required to be made available to the public through the template and the software. The bill requires the State Treasurer, the Chief Technology Officer, and the Director of the Division of Consumer Affairs in the Department of Law and Public Safety to conduct three public hearings to receive public input and feedback and to collate information regarding the implementation of the bill. The bill specifies that the hearings must be held within 90 days of the effective date of the bill, and specifies that of the three hearings, one must be held in the northern, one must be held in the central, and one must be held in the southern regions of the State. The bill specifies further that the State Treasurer is required to provide public notice for the hearings. The bill requires the State Treasurer to provide technical assistance and training to a county, municipality, State or local authority, school board, or other instrumentality of the State that is required to maintain an Internet website as a result of the bill. The bill specifies that the purpose of the technical assistance and training is to convey best practices in: presenting a detailed plan for an Internet websites to the State Treasurer; obtaining and compiling financial data and information required to be made available on a public entity's Internet website; designing and developing an Internet website that is readily accessible to the general public without charge; and otherwise maintaining compliance with the provisions of the bill. The bill requires the Chief Technology Officer to establish a public finance Internet website technical support unit within the Office of Information Technology. The bill specifies that the support unit will be under the immediate supervision of a manager, and will be staffed by personnel currently appointed and employed by the Office of Information Technology. The bill specifies that the manager of the technical support unit will be required to develop and maintain a full-time program dedicated to providing information technology support and services to public entities required to maintain an Internet website, and to perform any other duties and responsibilities assigned to it by the Chief Technology Officer. The bill authorizes the State Treasurer to develop rules and regulations necessary to implement the provisions of the bill. The bill specifies that the State Treasurer may make an immediate filing of regulations, effective for a limited duration. The bill appropriates to the Department of the Treasury from the General Fund such sums as may be necessary, not to exceed $100,000, as determined by the Director of the Division of Budget and Accounting in the Department of the Treasury, to provide resources, other than the property tax, to offset any additional direct expenditures that may be required for a public entity to plan, implement, and maintain an Internet website required to be made readily available to the general public without charge, and to otherwise effectuate the purposes of the bill. For fiscal year 2014 and for each fiscal year thereafter, the bill annually appropriates to the Department of the Treasury from the General Fund such sums as may be necessary, not to exceed $100,000, as determined by the Director of the Division of Budget and Accounting in the Department of the Treasury, to provide resources, other than the property tax, to offset any additional direct expenditures that may be required for a public entity to plan, implement, and maintain an Internet website required to be made readily available to the general public without charge, and to otherwise effectuate the purposes of the bill. The bill provides that its provisions take effect July 1, 2012 and that section 3 of the bill, which provides for the establishment of the State public finance Internet website, will remain inoperative until January 1, 2013.

AI Summary

Committee Categories

Aura Dunn (R)*, 

Introduced, Referred to Assembly State and Local Government Committee (on 01/13/2026)

Official Document