The Transparency in Government Act establishes a State public finance website aimed at providing residents with easy access to information regarding State revenues, expenditures, and bonded indebtedness. The State Treasurer, in collaboration with the Chief Technology Officer and the newly formed Public Finance Transparency Committee, is tasked with designing, developing, and maintaining a searchable website that will include data on annual State agency expenditures, revenues, and bonded debt, starting from fiscal year 2000 onward. The website must be accessible to the public without charge and will be updated periodically, although previously posted data cannot be removed. Additionally, the act ensures that any data available in the central accounting and State payroll systems is made accessible on the website within 45 days after the end of the fiscal year, while also protecting private or confidential information as defined by law.
The act also establishes the Public Finance Transparency Committee within the Department of the Treasury, consisting of 13 members, including representatives from the State Treasurer's office, the Chief Technology Officer, State agencies, the general public, and the Legislature. This committee will advise the State Treasurer on the website's development and expansion, seek public feedback, and issue annual reports on the website's progress and utility. The act takes effect immediately, but the requirement for website accessibility will not be enforced until seven months after enactment.