HB 1288: Good for you, Good for Colorado - tell your Representatives!

Thursday, April 2, 2009 12:11 PM by Mattie Duppler

After local spending transparency legislation failed last month the Colorado House will hear a bill tomorrow that aims to increase state government accountability. HB 1288, deemed the “Colorado Taxpayer Transparency Act,” would create a searchable website by January 1, 2010 that would give taxpayers access to the state’s spending. CFA has already submitted testimony in support of the bill. We are especially pleased that the legislation would require the website to be updated every five business days, providing Coloradans with a close to real-time update on where their tax dollars are going.

It should be emphasized that transparency is not only good for taxpayers; it’s good for the state too. Texas State Comptroller Susan Combs held a press conference after the launch of her transparency website to highlight its role in improving the efficiency of her agency. With the agency’s internal workings transparent to the public and the agency itself, she was able to identify and eliminate redundancies and inefficiencies that saved the state $8.7 million. And that’s only the beginning.

Beyond the financial impact transparency can have in a state, it also has a practical advantage. Following the launch of his transparency portal, South Carolina State Comptroller General Richard Eckstrom cited a massive decrease in Freedom of Information Act requests as just one of the ways the website has saved his office time and money.

There has been concern voiced about the cost of implementing the Colorado website. Many states, however, have created portals at hundreds of thousands less than projected or at even no cost at all. Oklahoma’s website was initially expected to cost $300,000 but in the end was only $8,000 to implement. Moreover, the Missouri Accountability Portal and the Texas Window on State Government websites were created without using a single additional tax dollar. 

If you are in Colorado, contact the members of the Appropriations Committee and tell them you deserve a transparent government! Urge them to view our website to get a better idea of the fiscal impact for this type of bill and to pass HB 1288!

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