Senate OKs database for state money

By Brad Shannon | The Olympian • Published February 19, 2008

Hopes are rising for legislation that would create a Web site to give taxpayers a clearer window into state budget decisions and where the money goes.

The Senate voted 48-0 on Saturday to approve a slimmed-down approach to setting up the online "searchable database" — something states such as Texas and Missouri have done with some acclaim.

But in doing so, the majority Democrats stripped out Republican Sen. Joseph Zarelli's proposal to include personal services contracts and links to state Public Disclosure Commission data. Zarelli's approach carried roughly a $250,000 price tag to bring the contracts database more easily into the public's hands.

One advocate of Senate Bill 6818 said it's still worth moving ahead with the open budgeting approach, even without Zarelli's add-ons.

"It's disappointing not to have more information but I'd be happy to have this bill pass and become law," said Jason Mercier, director of the conservative Washington Policy Center's government reform center.

"This is definitely better than nothing, because we can build on it."

Democratic Sen. Eric Oemig sponsored SB 6818, saying the heightened scrutiny by the public could help lawmakers identify budgeting errors but also demonstrate the value that tax money is buying.

Oemig has said he envisions a system that would let a voter type in an area of the budget he or she is interested in, then see the data pop up.

Eventually, he expects interest groups from anti-tax to environmental to education will take the data and create charts that help illustrate what is done with money.

Republican bill

Oemig's bill moved ahead of one sponsored by Republican Sen. Val Stevens, prompting the Senate Republican Caucus to designate Oemig's bill for its "grand larceny list" of bills.

Those are ideas purportedly stolen by the majority party.

The measure has its backers in the House, led by Democratic Rep. Mark Miloscia of Federal Way, who says "transparency" in government is the key.

House budget writers have not written off the idea, according to Rep. Hans Dunshee, D-Snohomish and vice chairman of the Appropriations Committee.

But a tight budget could create problems for the measure, which is estimated to cost $427,728 and might not be in the House budget that will be released Wednesday.