SB 819 - Senators Mooney, Brinkley, Colburn, Greenip, Harris, Jacobs, Muse, Raskin, and Stone The Senate Budget and Taxation Committee voted out both Delegate Miller’s HB 358 and Senator Alex Mooney’s cross-filed bill SB 819 on April 1st. The bills are expected to move to the Senate floor. 
Spending Database Achieved!
Bills and Sponsors
The Maryland Funding Accountability and Transparency Act
HB 358, Delegates Miller, Ali, Aumann, Barve, Bates, Beitzel, Bobo, Boteler, Carr, Conway, Costa, DeBoy, Dwyer, Eckardt, Elmore, Feldman, Frank, George, Guzzone, Haddaway, Jennings, Kelly, King, Kipke, Kramer, Krebs, Love, Manno, Mathias, McComas, McConkey, McDonough, McHale, McIntosh, McKee, Morhaim, O'Donnell, Riley, Rudolph, Schuh, Schuler, Shank, Smigiel, Sossi, Stocksdale, F. Turner, Weldon, and Wood
Legislative Summary: Requiring the Department of Budget and Management to develop and operate a searchable website that includes specified information for State financial assistance and expenditures over $25,000; specifying parameters of the website; authorizing the Secretary of Budget and Management to designate agencies to participate in the development, operation, or support of the website; etc.
Status
The Governor has signed HB 358 into law effectively creating a spending database for the state of Maryland! Read more here!
The Maryland state legislature convenes on January 9, 2008 and is expected to adjourn on April 7, 2008.
What We Did
2008
Statement of Kristina Rasmussen, National Taxpayers Union Senior Government Affairs Manager, Submitted to the Budget and Taxation Committee.
Statement of Sandra Fabry, Americans for Tax Reform State Government Affairs Manager, on SB 819.
Letter from the National Taxpayers Union in Support of Government Spending Transparency!
2007
Statement of Kristina Rasmussen, National Taxpayers Union Senior Government Affairs Manager, Submitted to the Health and Government Operations Committee, Maryland House of Delegates Regarding HB 1252, the Maryland Funding Accountability and Transparency Act of 2007
Statement of Sandra Fabry, State Government Affairs Manager, Americans for Tax Reform To the Maryland Health and Government Operations Committee Regarding HB 1252, the Maryland Funding Accountability and Transparency Act of 2007.
Statement of Phil Kerpen, Policy Director, Americans for Prosperity, on the Maryland Funding Accountability and Transparency Act of 2007.
News
Lawmakers look to www.NebraskaSpending.Gov for answers concerning spending database creation cost. Find out more by clicking here!
Transparency legislation faces bumps in the road. Click here to read more.
Statement of Richard Falknor, Executive Vice President, Maryland Taxpayers Association, to the Maryland House of Delegates Health and Government Operations Committee in behalf of HB 1252, the Maryland Funding Accountability and Transparency Act. Editorial from The Examiner on a study of which Maryland legislators support a spending database.
Commentary by Randolph May, "Bring transparency and accountability to Maryland government."
Blog post by the Free State Foundation, "Maryland Lags on Spending Transparency."
What You’ve Got Already
Contracts: Department of Budget and Management Contract Library http://www.dbm.maryland.gov/
Maryland’s Contract Library features a repository of information for contracts awarded by the Department of Budget and Management. Contracts are sorted into categories named Employee Benefits, Information Technology, and Services. Entries provide a summary of what the contract is for, who manages the contract, and starting/ending dates. In some cases users can access PDF copies of the original contract agreements.
Take Action
Click here to send a petition to your legislators in support of a Maryland state spending database.