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an effort to create searchable online databases for government expenditures
a tool to highlight the hypocrisy of tax hikers
Constitutional or statutory requirement to rein in growth of revenues end expenditures
a commitment made by elected officials and candidates for elected office never to raise taxes
Raising the bar for tax increases
Requiring a cool-off period for all bills with a fiscal impact
pork-barrel spending - the broken windows of the budget
Resource Links
Transparency in Government Spending Resources
Center for Fiscal Accountability
Well, you’re here, no need to explain the site.
A wiki dedicated to promoting transparency in government at all levels of government around the country hosted by the Sam Adams Alliance. Also blog.
A coalition of organizations and think tanks promoting transparency in government spending in all fifty states. Founding members include the National Taxpayers Union, Americans for Tax Reform, Citizens against Government Waste and Americans for Prosperity.
WikiFOIA
A wiki page dedicated to spreading knowledge and understanding of the Freedom of Information Act, a milestone of transparency legislation as well as current developments in the area of transparency in government. The portal has been folded into Sunshine Review.
Americans for Tax Reform
The parent organization for the Center for Fiscal Accountability, Americans for Tax Reform has been one of the leading organizations in the effort to promote transparency in government spending.
The parent organization for the Center for Fiscal Accountability, Americans for Tax Reform has been one of the leading organizations in the effort to promote transparency in government spending.
American Legislative Exchange Council
The American Legislative Exchange Council is the nation's largest nonpartisan, individual membership organization of state legislators, with more than 2,000 legislator members from all 50 states. ALEC has endorsed model legislation to create online searchable databases for government spending and promotes the concept of fiscal transparency and accountability through its Tax and Fiscal Policy Task Force.
Americans for Prosperity
A national grassroots organization promoting government spending transparency and fiscal accountability at the state and local level through their state chapters.
Citizens Against Government Waste
A national organization dedicated to exposing and fighting wasteful spending, and founding member of the ShowMeTheSpending coalition.
Mercatus Center
The Government Accountability Project at the Mercatus Center provides research, analysis and commentary on accountability in government from a scholarly perspective.
The Government Accountability Project at the Mercatus Center provides research, analysis and commentary on accountability in government from a scholarly perspective.
National Taxpayers Union
A national taxpayer organization promoting transparency and accountability in government. See also Show Me The Spending.
Porkbusters
A coalition of groups dedicated to exposing pork-barrel spending and government waste. The Porkbusters coalition was instrumental in exposing the senators who had placed a secret hold on the Federal Funding Accountability and Transparency Act.
Reason Foundation
A national think tank promoting transparency and accountability in government. Reason asked all presidential candidates to sign an “Oath of Transparency.”
Sam Adams Alliance
A national organization based in Chicago, Illinois promoting transparency and accountability in government. Main project in this area: Sunshine Review.
A national think tank promoting transparency and accountability in government. Reason asked all presidential candidates to sign an “Oath of Transparency.”
Sam Adams Alliance
A national organization based in Chicago, Illinois promoting transparency and accountability in government. Main project in this area: Sunshine Review.
Sunlight Foundation
A national organization dedicated to open government. The Foundation focuses on assembling web-based databases and tools including OpenCongress.org, Congresspedia.org, and FedSpending.org, which provided the basis for USAspending.org.
State Policy Network
The national umbrella organization for free market state think tanks, many of which have taken on projects dedicated to promoting transparency in government spending.
The national umbrella organization for free market state think tanks, many of which have taken on projects dedicated to promoting transparency in government spending.
Alabama
Alabama Policy Institute
The Alabama Policy Institute promotes transparency and accountability in government finance in Alabama.
Arizona
Goldwater Institute
The Goldwater Institute has published a K-12 Funding Index, which allows taxpayers to select a student's school district and grade level, and any special needs he or she has, and see how much funding public school this school district receives. The Institute promotes transparency at all levels of government.
California
Pacific Research Institute
The Pacific Research Institute promotes transparency and accountability at the state and local level in California.
Pacific Research Institute
The Pacific Research Institute promotes transparency and accountability at the state and local level in California.
Colorado
Independence Institute
The Independence Institute in Golden, Colorado has been promoting spending transparency efforts at the state and local level.
Connecticut
The group Non-partisan Action for a Better Redding (NABR) has developed a calculator that allows you to type in your property tax burden and will calculate for you what percentage of the amount you pay is spent on a give expenditure category
Florida
James Madison Institute
The James Madison Institute has been promoting the concept of transparency in government spending at the state and local level.
Georgia
Georgia Public Policy Foundation
The Georgia Public Policy Foundation promotes spending transparency and fiscal accountability at the state and local level.
Hawaii
Grassroot Institute
The Grassroot Institute of Hawaii has been promoting the concept of government spending transparency in Hawaii and has created a website called HawaiiSunshine.org to provide more information on the effort.
Grassroot Institute
The Grassroot Institute of Hawaii has been promoting the concept of government spending transparency in Hawaii and has created a website called HawaiiSunshine.org to provide more information on the effort.
Illinois
Illinois Policy Institute
The Illinois Policy Institute uses a bottom-up and top-down approach to advance transparency in every level of Illinois government.
Illinois Policy Institute
The Illinois Policy Institute uses a bottom-up and top-down approach to advance transparency in every level of Illinois government.
Americans for Prosperity Illinois
Americans for Prosperity Illinois has been promoting spending transparency at the state and local level and authored the spending transparency legislation that passed the state house in 2008.
For the Good of Illinois
For the Good of Illinois pushes for school district spending transparency and has been successful in getting school districts to post their check registers online. The websites is home to an honor roll for districts disclosing their spending.
For the Good of Illinois pushes for school district spending transparency and has been successful in getting school districts to post their check registers online. The websites is home to an honor roll for districts disclosing their spending.
Iowa
Public Interest Institute
The Public Interest Institute promotes transparency and accountability at the state and local level in Iowa.
The Public Interest Institute promotes transparency and accountability at the state and local level in Iowa.
Kentucky
Bluegrass Institute
The Bluegrass Institute is an independent research and educational institution promoting transparency and offering free-market solutions to Kentucky's most pressing problems.
Louisiana
Pelican Institute
The Pelican Institute develops policy across Loiusiana which is designed to encourage an accountable government and free market.
The Pelican Institute develops policy across Loiusiana which is designed to encourage an accountable government and free market.
Maine
The Maine Heritage Policy Center promotes the concept of transparency and accountability in government spending at the state and local level in Maine.
Michigan
Mackinac Center for Public Policy
The Mackinac Center for Public Policy has long been an advocate for more accountable government. Having pioneerd the MichiganVotes website, which details comprehensive information on all legislative votes understandable to a layperson and without legislative codewords and euphemisms for tax increases, the Center has now launched a new transparency project.
The Mackinac Center for Public Policy has long been an advocate for more accountable government. Having pioneerd the MichiganVotes website, which details comprehensive information on all legislative votes understandable to a layperson and without legislative codewords and euphemisms for tax increases, the Center has now launched a new transparency project.
Mississippi
Mississippi Center for Public Policy
The Mississippi Policy Center promotes transparency and accountability at all levels of government and hosted a freshman legislator policy orientation which generated legislative interest in the issue of spending transparency, and ultimately led lawmakers to draft and pass legislation.
Mississippi Center for Public Policy
The Mississippi Policy Center promotes transparency and accountability at all levels of government and hosted a freshman legislator policy orientation which generated legislative interest in the issue of spending transparency, and ultimately led lawmakers to draft and pass legislation.
Missouri
Show Me Institute
The Show Me Institute has developed a "Tax Estimator" which generates a Missouri household's estimated total state and local tax burden and promotes the concept of government transparency at all levels of government.
Montana
Montana Policy Institute
The Montana Policy Institute focuses on accountability issues such as a Taxpayer Bill of Rights for Montana and promotes transparency in government spending at the state and local level.
New Hampshire
Josiah Bartlett Institute for Public Policy
The Josiah Bartlett Institute for Public Policy promotes transparency and accountability in government finance at the state and local level in New Hampshire.
New York
Nevada
Empire Center for New York State Policy
The Empire Center for New York State Policy hosts SeeThroughNY, a comprehensive web portal for New York state and local spending information.
Nevada
Nevada Policy Research Institute
The Nevada Policy Research Institute has launched TransparentNevada.com, a website detailing information on Nevada's government finances including contract information, CAFRs, salary information and lobbyist information.
Citizen Outreach
The grassroots organization promotes transparency in government spending at the state and local level in Nevada.
North Carolina
John Locke Foundation
The John Locke Foundation, a state think tank in North Carolina, has published a study called "Fiscal Transparency in North Carolina: A Survey of State and Local Government," which grades the 22 largest state agencies, and the 10 largset counties, cities and school districts in the state.
North Dakota
North Dakota Policy Council
The North Dakota Policy Council has developed "Sunshine on Schools," an interactive clearinghouse containing budget data for North Dakota's K-12 schools. The website allows users to search through District Summary pages to find current and historical data for any K-12 school in North Dakota. It also allows for comparisons of up to 5 school districts at one time.
Ohio
The Buckeye Institute
The Buckeye Institute has launched the Center for Transparent and Accountable Government, headed by former state House reporter Mike Maurer. The center's first two initiatives include soliticting a written commitment to transparency from candidates and an open government "wiki" Web page.
Americans for Prosperity Ohio
The Ohio chapter of the grassroots organization Americans for Prosperity, run by Jack Boyle, is an active supporter of government spending transparency in Ohio.
Oklahoma
Oklahoma Council on Public Affairs
The Oklahoma Council on Public Affairs has been promoting transparency in government spending and, together with Sen. Tom Coburn argued for the creation of a searchable online database for government expenditures, which has since been created.
Pennsylvania
Commonwealth Foundation
The Commonwealth Foundation has been promoting transparency in government spending at the state and local level.
Rhode Island
Ocean State Research Institute (OSPRI)
The Ocean State Policy Research Institute publishes local spending transparency information. In April of 2008, the Ocean State Policy Research Institute (OSPRI) launched its "Transparency Train" and began loading comprehensive fiscal information for every city, town and school district in Rhode Island. The website provides access to local budgets, check registers, contracts and payroll information and allows for cross-searching by keyword as well as browsing information via drop-down menus.
The Ocean State Policy Research Institute publishes local spending transparency information. In April of 2008, the Ocean State Policy Research Institute (OSPRI) launched its "Transparency Train" and began loading comprehensive fiscal information for every city, town and school district in Rhode Island. The website provides access to local budgets, check registers, contracts and payroll information and allows for cross-searching by keyword as well as browsing information via drop-down menus.
Tennessee
Tennessee Center for Policy Research
The Tennessee Center for Policy Research promotes transparency and accountability at all levels of government.
The Texas Public Policy Foundation
The Texas Public Policy Foundation has long been a proponent of government spending transparency and has worked with the Perry administration to develop the policies that resulted in the creation of the Window on State Government. TPPF now hosts Texas Budget Source, a one-stop shopping portal that not only provides taxpayers with the links to the relevant state websites for fiscal information, but also provides a lot of useful information on local government spending.
Texans for Fiscal Responsibility
The taxpayer advocacy organization promotes fiscal accountability and transparency at all levels of government in Texas.
The taxpayer advocacy organization promotes fiscal accountability and transparency at all levels of government in Texas.
Peyton Wolcott
A Texas activist keeps track of school districts that make their spending information available on her website.
A Texas activist keeps track of school districts that make their spending information available on her website.
Utah
Sutherland Institute
The Sutherland Institute has been promoting the concept of fiscal transparency and has published a study on Utah's spending transparency effort.
Vermont
The Ethan Allen Institute promotes the concept of transparency in government spending at the state and local level in Vermont.
Virginia
Tertium Quids is working with reform-minded legislators to enact broad-based budget transparency legislation in Virginia.
Washington
Evergreen Freedom Foundation
The Evergreen Freedom Foundation, which has been promoting government spending transparency for years, has launched its Transparency in Government Project. Initiatives include an oath of transparency, property tax transparency, K-12 school district transparency, higher education transparency, performance audits and budget timeout model legislation.
Washington Policy Center
Through its Center for Government Reform the Washington Policy Center has been promoting the concept of fiscal transparency leading up to to the passage of SB 6818. While continuing to educate Washingtonians about the need for greater spending transparency, the Washington Policy Center's most recent initiative focuses on transparency in taxation.
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