REPRESENTATIVE MATT WINGARD

OREGON HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

HOUSE DISTRICT 26

HOUSE PASSES ‘OPEN BOOKS’ BILL TO BRING GREATER TRANSPARENCY,

ACCOUNTABILITY TO STATE GOVERNMENT

Web Site Will Provider User-Friendly Information on State Spending and Revenue

SALEM—The House today passed HB 2500, a bill co-sponsored by Rep. Matt Wingard (R-Wilsonville) to create an “Open Books Oregon” web site that will enable Oregonians to better access information on state spending and revenue. Rep. Wingard said the new web site will bring greater transparency and accountability to state government.

“State government leaves Oregonians in the dark when it comes to how their taxpayer dollars are spent,” Rep. Wingard said. “The Open Books Oregon will provide user-friendly information on revenue and expenditures. It will also give citizens greater opportunities to voice their opinions and help eliminate the waste and abuse of their taxpayer dollars.”

Rep. Wingard said Oregon will join several state and local governments that provide detailed information on spending and revenue on the Internet. HB 2500 was passed thanks to the work of Cascade Policy Institute, which proposed an “Oregon Government Transparency Act” last year to release state financial information in a more user-friendly format.

“It is currently difficult for citizens to navigate the vast amounts of government performance and financial data,” Rep. Wingard said. “In addition to finding useful details on agency budgets, Oregonians will be able to obtain audits on state agency operations and information on state projects and procurement contracts.”

HB 2500 now moves to Senate.

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