Some Good News out of Olympia, for a Change

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December 4, 10:01 AM

by John Barnes, Seattle Politics Examiner

 

Yesterday I attended a press conference at the state capitol for the unveiling of a new website that gives the public an unprecedented level of access to information on how the state spends money.  Fiscal.wa.gov is the result of Senate Bill 6818, sponsored by Sen. Eric Oemig (D-Kirkland) and passed unanimously during the 2008 legislative session.  Sen. Oemig worked closely with Washington Policy Center in developing this idea.

The state's Legislative Evaluation and Accountability Program (LEAP) Committee took the idea and made it a reality, and they did a marvelous job at that.  I was told Microsoft's web folks were impressed with the design work.

The new website allows users to comb through state spending all the way down to the program level, compare budgets from one biennium to the next, compare the various budget proposals to actual enacted budgets, and more.  Users can generate custom reports and export them into pdf or Excel format.  The actual search function is limited right now but LEAP will be working on that.  That's an important point:  this site, launched ahead of legislative deadline, will be a work in progress.  Much of that progress will be determined by what users want and ask for.  The new site is a floor, not a ceiling.

Admittedly, the site has more appeal to policy wonks and media than anyone else.  Several capitol press reporters from the state's traditional media outlets were present, and questions abounded.  There's definitely a strong interest amongst those who were present and I suspect the new site will play a role in their research.  But even with a limited out-of-the-gate appeal, this is a huge step forward in bringing more transparency and interactivity to government spending.  Budgeting should not be a secret process, though the folks in Olympia who want to continually grow spending certainly do benefit from a secretive or obscure process.

Hats off to LEAP for their work on fiscal.wa.gov.  When SB 6818 came out, the state Office of Financial Management wanted millions of dollars and a more staffers to do it.  LEAP stepped up and said they could do it with existing resources.  LEAP is what I would call a countercultural government agency---while others whine constantly about not having enough funding or manpower, LEAP does a lot with limited resources and staff, and they take on new challenges readily.  Their modus operandi, and this new website, are a breath of fresh air coming from Olympia.

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