ATLANTA (April. 22, 2010) – Yesterday, the General Assembly took a significant step to increase transparency and accountability to its citizens. The House of Representatives unanimously passed the Transparency in Government Act. Sen. Jim Butterworth (R-Clarkesville) led efforts throughout the legislative process.
“We achieved a victory today in increasing accountability to Georgians. The people we represent must trust that our actions are in their best interests,” said Butterworth. “By voting to make all financial transactions available to the public, we are displaying our commitment and dedication to transparency in state government.”
“Senator Butterworth has shown diligent leadership to enhance transparency in state government. Taxpayers deserve the right to know how their hard-earned money is spent, especially in this economy,” said Lt. Gov. Casey Cagle.
These bills come from recommendations in the final report of the Budget Task Force, which is comprised of experienced business leaders and accounting professionals who provided recommendations to the Senate regarding both short and long-term budget solutions. These solutions include consolidation of services, greater efficiency and cutting unnecessary spending. The group was tasked with identifying new ways to balance the budget without drastic cuts to essential services or raising taxes in this economy. Lt. Gov. Cagle and Senate leadership announced the task force at the beginning of the 2010 Legislative Session.
The Transparency in Government Act will expand the public information website open.georgia.gov to include all three branches of government, any regional education service agency, all local boards of education, federal pass through dollars and contracts and expenditures made by the General Assembly. With this legislation, the General Assembly will be included in the auditing and tracking functions of open.georgia.gov, run by the Department of Audits and Accounts. This bill ensures all fiscal actions of the entire legislative arm of state government are available for the general public to find.
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Sen. Jim Butterworth represents the 50th Senate District which includes Towns, Rabun, Habersham, Stephens, Banks, Franklin, and Hart counties along with a portion of White County. He can be reached by phone at 404.463.5257 or by email at jim.butterworth@senate.ga.gov.
PRESS RELEASE
For Immediate Release:
April 22, 2010
For Information Contact:
Natalie Strong, Deputy Director
Katie Wright,Communications Associate
katie.wright@senate.ga.gov
404.656.0028