REPORTING EXPENDITURE OF STATE FUNDS H.B. 4096 (H-3):
COMMITTEE SUMMARY
House Bill 4096 (Substitute H-3 as passed by the House)
Sponsor: Representative Kevin Cotter
House Committee: Oversight, Reform, and Ethics
Senate Committee: Reforms, Restructuring and Reinventing
CONTENT
The bill would amend the Management and Budget Act to require the reporting and internet posting of State agencies' expenditure of State funds, and require the development of a searchable website for free public access to this information.
The bill would define "expenditure of state funds" as an expenditure of appropriated or nonappropriated funds processed through the State's central accounting system by an executive branch agency. The term would include, but not be limited to, State purchases, contracts and subcontracts, and grants.
The bill would require the Department of Technology, Management, and Budget (DTMB) to issue directives requiring all State agencies to provide the Department with, and make available through a link on their website homepages, all of the following information regarding the expenditure of State funds:
-- The name of the entity receiving the funds.
-- The amount of State funds.
-- The funding State agency.
-- A descriptive purpose of the funding action or expenditure.
-- Any other information required by the Department.
By January 1, 2013, the DTMB would have to develop and operate a searchable website accessible by the public at no cost for access to this information.
The bill specifies that nothing in the section it proposes would require the disclosure of information considered confidential by State or Federal law.
Proposed MCL 18.1448 Legislative Analyst: Suzanne Lowe
FISCAL IMPACT
State departments and agencies could experience an indeterminate fiscal impact from complying with the bill's requirements. For some State departments and agencies, these costs could be absorbed within the departments' or agencies' annual budgets; for others, there could be additional compliance costs that exceeded the departments' or agencies' annual appropriations.
The DTMB already has a public website in place; thus, there would be no additional costs to the Department associated with creating a publicly accessible website. However, there could be additional administrative costs to the DTMB associated with the collection of data from State departments and agencies and the posting of the data on the DTMB's public website. Additional costs could include the additional website development and maintenance that could become necessary, depending on the directives issued to other State departments and agencies as proposed in the bill.
This analysis was prepared by nonpartisan Senate staff for use by the Senate in its deliberations and does not constitute an official statement of legislative intent.