A measure to increase transparency for taxpayers and ensure government accountability in how state dollars are spent cleared the state House today on a 96-0 unanimous vote. It was a top priority for state Rep. Marcus Riccelli (D – Spokane), who sponsored the bill.
“Millions of dollars fund capital and transportation projects in all 39 of our state’s counties,” Riccelli said. “These projects create jobs, make our communities safer, and improve our quality of life. But the public has no way to look up or track where their money goes, and we want to change that.”
House Bill 1733 improves public access to state budget data online by requiring a one-stop location for the information and simple, user-friendly navigation.
Riccelli’s idea for the bill came from his own experiences trying to find specific state budget data online. Other states, he discovered, have much more user-friendly ways for the public to access this data than Washington does.
“It doesn’t have to be this complicated,” Riccelli said. “A simple map of the state with ‘hover over’ technology would enable the public to simply point, click, and see the information. We’re the technology state, and we should be leading on this.”
The bill attracted strong bipartisan support from the beginning. State Rep. Brad Hawkins (R – East Wenatchee), is one of the co-sponsors.
“I appreciate Rep. Riccelli’s leadership on this bill. It’s an idea that makes complete sense, and I’m optimistic it will continue to move forward over in the Senate.”