May 4, 2009 By Steve Towns, Editor
States can expect more information soon on the rules for tracking stimulus spending and reporting it back to the federal government. They're also likely to get help with paying for stimulus-related transparency efforts.
Officials speaking to state government IT executives in Baltimore last week said the U.S. Office of Management and Budget (OMB) will release stimulus tracking and reporting rules for states within 60 days. The OMB also is considering recommendations to let states use part of the stimulus money to pay for IT systems and other resources needed to meet transparency requirements included in the $787 billion American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA).
Both issues have caused heartburn for state CIOs charged with meeting ARRA's transparency and accountability mandates. Although stimulus money has been flowing to states for months, rules for tracking those dollars haven't been issued, leaving CIOs in limbo over what information they must capture and how they need to report it to the federal government. In addition, state officials -- already coping with the recession -- are worried they'll get stuck with the bill for transparency tools like upgraded reporting systems and new stimulus Web sites.
Dave Quam, federal relations director for the National Governors Association, said a meeting last week in Washington, D.C., between state stimulus czars and federal officials yielded new information on when states can expect stimulus reporting rules. Those rules are critical as state officials scramble to comply with an Oct. 10 deadline for the first official reports to the federal government on where stimulus dollars are being spent.
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