| |
|
|
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
|
|
|
AN ACT
|
|
|
relating to creating a single searchable central database on Texas |
|
|
Online containing information on all state expenditures. |
|
|
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
|
|
SECTION 1. Subchapter C, Chapter 2054, Government Code, is |
|
|
amended by adding Section 2054.064 to read as follows: |
|
|
Sec. 2054.064. SEARCHABLE STATE FUNDING DATABASE. (a) The |
|
|
legislature finds that: |
|
|
(1) the Texas state budget has grown to over $160 |
|
|
billion for the coming biennium; |
|
|
(2) the citizens and taxpayers of the State of Texas |
|
|
are entitled to as much information as possible about how their tax |
|
|
dollars are spent; |
|
|
(3) the Internet has made it possible for citizens to |
|
|
access directly detailed information about state government, its |
|
|
agencies, and their expenditures; |
|
|
(4) direct citizen access to information has already |
|
|
created an additional check and balance on the power of government, |
|
|
politicians, and the media, enabling millions of citizens to |
|
|
conduct their own research and to hold government accountable in |
|
|
ways that were not previously possible; |
|
|
(5) the power of millions of individuals acting |
|
|
discretely toward common goals is exemplified by such online |
|
|
phenomena as blogs, open source software, and wiki technology; |
|
|
(6) the expenditure of state funds will be more |
|
|
transparent and accountable to the citizens and taxpayers of Texas |
|
|
if it is published online in as much detail as possible; and |
|
|
(7) the State of Texas already maintains the Texas |
|
|
Online portal for the purpose of providing citizens direct access |
|
|
to state government. |
|
|
(b) The department shall publish to the Internet a central |
|
|
database that is electronically searchable by the public that |
|
|
accounts for every dollar of taxpayer funds spent by the State of |
|
|
Texas. |
|
|
(c) A link to this database shall be prominently displayed |
|
|
on the home page of the Texas Online portal. |
|
|
(d) The database shall include as much information as |
|
|
possible regarding specific expenditures of funds, including |
|
|
identifying information about state grantees and contractors above |
|
|
$75,000, and the amounts, dates, and purpose of their awards; |
|
|
provided that nothing in this section shall cause the release of |
|
|
private, personal, or confidential information. |
|
|
(e) The department shall make its best efforts to present |
|
|
information in a manner that is searchable and intuitive to users, |
|
|
using graphical representations such as pie charts as appropriate, |
|
|
for the purpose of presenting users an accessible, intuitive window |
|
|
into the expenditure of state funds, and the ability to drill down |
|
|
into any particular category of spending to find out exactly where |
|
|
the money goes. Access to the database and the information |
|
|
contained therein shall be unrestricted and free to all public |
|
|
users. At a minimum, the database shall allow users to: |
|
|
(1) search and aggregate State funding by any element |
|
|
of the information; |
|
|
(2) ascertain through a single search the total amount |
|
|
of State funding as described in this Section awarded to an entity |
|
|
by any State agency or other State entity; |
|
|
(3) download data yielded by any search described in |
|
|
this Section. |
|
|
(f) The Legislative Budget Board, the Office of the |
|
|
Comptroller, and all other state agencies are required to cooperate |
|
|
and share all appropriate information with the department necessary |
|
|
to complete this task. |
|
|
SECTION 2. This Act takes effect October 1, 2007. |