Budget Transparency
From our friends at the Virginai Institute for Public Policy:
Here's the link for the bill: HB1360
Here's the action link from FreedomWorks
and our friends at Family Foundation
Friends,
I write today to discuss a legislative initiative in the current session of the General Assembly that we introduced at a January 8th news conference at the Virginia Capitol.
Senator Ken Cuccinelli (R-Fairfax) and Senator Chap Petersen (D-Fairfax) have introduced SB 585, and Delegate Ben Cline (R-Rockbridge) and Delegate Johnny Joannou (D-Portsmouth) haveintroduced HB 1360 that will put the state budget online in a user-friendly, searchable format. The basic idea behind budget transparency is that the state government becomes much more accountable when the individual citizen, with average computer skills, can search the state budget to learn how our tax dollars are being spent down to the individual program, vendor, and contract levels.
At our January 8th news conference, prepared statements were submitted by both Lt. Governor Bill Bolling and Attorney General Bob McDonnell in support of this effort. Since the news conference, editorial board meetings with The Washington Examiner, The Washington Post, The Washington Times, The Free Lance-Star Fredericksburg), and the Richmond Times-Dispatch have been held to discuss the need for budget transparency. The News & Advance (Lynchburg) has also written about the proposed legislation and what it would mean for Virginia. This is an issue the media actually supports because a searchable database in a user-friendly, detailed format would make their jobs considerably easier. In the coming days I will send you articles that have appeared as a result of our meetings.
Starting tomorrow, January 28th, I will begin sending out daily e-mail updates on what committees these bills are in, who is on those committees, and their contact information. We would greatly appreciate your support individually, or corporately if you have your own group or association, to contact the relevant Delegates and Senators to voice your support for these bills and to ensure they are on board.
Anyone who calls himself a fiscal conservative or a taxpayer activist should be
ecstatic at the prospect of this legislation becoming law. Today even legislators will admit the budget of Virginia is indecipherable and that that is not by accident.
In many ways, budget transparency is the perfect issue because either our legislators support it, or they have to explain why they oppose transparency and accountability.
We can do this, folks! Thank you in advance for your participation. Fomenting revolution just wouldn’t be the same without you. In fact, it wouldn’t be a revolution at all.
John Taylor
The Virginia Institute for Public Policy is an independent, nonpartisan, education and research organization committed to the goals of individual opportunity and economic growth. Through research, policy recommendations, and symposia, the Institute works ahead of the political process to lay the intellectual foundation for a society dedicated to individual liberty, free enterprise, private property, the rule of law, and constitutionally limited government.
Here's the link for the bill: HB1360
Here's the action link from FreedomWorks
and our friends at Family Foundation
Friends,
I write today to discuss a legislative initiative in the current session of the General Assembly that we introduced at a January 8th news conference at the Virginia Capitol.
Senator Ken Cuccinelli (R-Fairfax) and Senator Chap Petersen (D-Fairfax) have introduced SB 585, and Delegate Ben Cline (R-Rockbridge) and Delegate Johnny Joannou (D-Portsmouth) haveintroduced HB 1360 that will put the state budget online in a user-friendly, searchable format. The basic idea behind budget transparency is that the state government becomes much more accountable when the individual citizen, with average computer skills, can search the state budget to learn how our tax dollars are being spent down to the individual program, vendor, and contract levels.
At our January 8th news conference, prepared statements were submitted by both Lt. Governor Bill Bolling and Attorney General Bob McDonnell in support of this effort. Since the news conference, editorial board meetings with The Washington Examiner, The Washington Post, The Washington Times, The Free Lance-Star Fredericksburg), and the Richmond Times-Dispatch have been held to discuss the need for budget transparency. The News & Advance (Lynchburg) has also written about the proposed legislation and what it would mean for Virginia. This is an issue the media actually supports because a searchable database in a user-friendly, detailed format would make their jobs considerably easier. In the coming days I will send you articles that have appeared as a result of our meetings.
Starting tomorrow, January 28th, I will begin sending out daily e-mail updates on what committees these bills are in, who is on those committees, and their contact information. We would greatly appreciate your support individually, or corporately if you have your own group or association, to contact the relevant Delegates and Senators to voice your support for these bills and to ensure they are on board.
Anyone who calls himself a fiscal conservative or a taxpayer activist should be
ecstatic at the prospect of this legislation becoming law. Today even legislators will admit the budget of Virginia is indecipherable and that that is not by accident.
In many ways, budget transparency is the perfect issue because either our legislators support it, or they have to explain why they oppose transparency and accountability.
We can do this, folks! Thank you in advance for your participation. Fomenting revolution just wouldn’t be the same without you. In fact, it wouldn’t be a revolution at all.
John Taylor
The Virginia Institute for Public Policy is an independent, nonpartisan, education and research organization committed to the goals of individual opportunity and economic growth. Through research, policy recommendations, and symposia, the Institute works ahead of the political process to lay the intellectual foundation for a society dedicated to individual liberty, free enterprise, private property, the rule of law, and constitutionally limited government.
Labels: accountability, action, budget, va republicans
posted by concretebob at 10:14 AM
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