Hank Silverberg, wtop.com
WASHINGTON – A new report finds it’s getting easier to find out just where public tax dollars are going as more states increase transparency of spending, but it could be better in Maryland and Virginia.
Many states have made substantial progress in putting information on spending online according to a report from the U.S. Public Interest Research Group. Seven states get an “A” grade for the ability of the public to track state spending, but five states get an “F.”
Virginia was given a “B-,” Maryland a “C+.” The study’s co author Phineas Baxandall says it’s much better than it used to be.
“The public can take heart that this information is starting to go up there” he says. “This greatly reduces the ability to do sweetheart deals and pay for play kind of contracting without somebody at least potentially looking over their shoulder.”
The District of Columbia was not evaluated in this study. Baxandall says the city’s spending is too tangled with congressional control to compare it to other states.
U.S. PIRG’s study evaluates how easy it is for taxpayers to search online for spending by state agency, by vendor, historical spending, by keyword or by contract.
Each state received a point total based on 100 points as perfect. Virginia got an 81, Maryland a 75.
Texas scored the best with a 98. Idaho was the worst scoring only 6 points.
To read the full report, follow this link.
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