- MEMBERS RECEIVE ACCESS TO:
- CIO Leadership Group
  CIO Leadership Task Force provides a unique forum for Chief Information Officers from the largest cities and counties in the U.S. to privately interact, both through an online collaboration site and in regular face-to-face meetings. It offers these leaders an on-going opportunity to share information and experiences, and to discussing IT challenges facing larger community jurisdictions.
- Digital Infrastructure
  Task Force
  The Digital Infrastructure Task Force is a collaborative networking group for government IT professionals. Through timely exchange of information and experiences, both online and through regular face to face meetings, municipal and regional government members help each other to make smarter technology decisions for their communities.
- Law Enforcement
  IT Task Force
  The Law Enforcement Task Force is a collaborative networking group for local law enforcement officials from across the nation. In online and regular face to face meetings, both sworn and civilian law enforcement officials come here to discuss technology trends, collaboration and information sharing opportunities within the local law enforcement community.
- Private Events
  and Webinars
- Exclusive White Papers
- JOIN:
- Public Sector
- Private Sector
Digital Communities Home
Introduction
Feature Articles
Local Government Events
Contact
Digital Communities Blogs
Digital Citizen Pulse
Broadband Nation
Web 2.0 Convergence
In the Trenches
International Beat
Notes from a City CIO
Intelligent Communities
MuniGov 2.0
Surveys and Awards
Digital Cities Survey
Digital Counties Survey
DGAA Awards
Best of the Web Awards
Reference and
Resource Library
White Papers
Exclusives
Webinars
Best Practices
Digital Communities
Special Focus
Current Issue
Past Issues
Subscribe

Digital Communities
Industry Members

Click sponsor logos for whitepapers, case studies, and best practices.

Taxpayer Group Applauds Hawaii's Passage of Spending Transparency Bill

July 16, 2007 By News Report

Enactment of a bill last Thursday opening up Hawaii's state government spending to public scrutiny puts Hawaii in an elite group of states pioneering the "Google Government" movement, according to the 362,000-member National Taxpayers Union (NTU). Hawaii joins Kansas, Minnesota, Oklahoma, and Texas as the first states to open their books up to taxpayers online, with the passage of House Bill 122.

The Hawaii plan is modeled after federal legislation enacted last year, cosponsored by Senators Tom Coburn (R-OK) and Barack Obama (D-IL). The law has ordered the U.S. Office of Management and Budget to construct an Internet destination for the general public to track the flow of federal grant and contract disbursements.

Despite the fact that H.B. 122 passed both chambers overwhelmingly two months ago, the bill became law without the signature of Governor Linda Lingle, said the taxpayers' group.

"The Aloha State now joins several others in the belief that transparency is vital to good governance," said Andrew Moylan, NTU's government affairs manager. "Hopefully, Governor Lingle will come to agree with the Legislature that disclosure of state spending is an important and necessary tool for accountability."

Moylan expressed concern, however, with one provision in HB 122 that limits disclosure to recipients of $25,000 or more. "The federal-level legislation set the same limit, so surely a single state such as Hawaii should have a lower threshold," he said. "The Legislature should act to reduce or remove this barrier."

Hawaii represents yet another victory for the recently launched http://www.showmethespending.org/ "Show Me the Spending" coalition, which is dedicated to passing similar legislation in all 50 states. NTU is one of the founders of the 21-member coalition.

"Hawaii may be America's 50th state, but it is among the first to recognize that accountable government is not a left or right issue, it's a right or wrong issue," Moylan concluded. "The other 45 states of this nation should do the same."

| More

Colorado Governor Releases New Accountability Report

Add Your Comment

Name *

Comment *

You are solely responsible for the content of your comments. We reserve the right to remove comments that are considered profane, vulgar, obscene, factually inaccurate, off-topic, or considered a personal attack.

In Our Library

White Papers | Exclusives Reports | Webinar Archives | Best Practices and Case Studies

Living in a Smart City: Chattanooga, TN: The only one Gigabit broadband service in the United States for residential and business customers is now available citywide in Chattanooga, Tennessee. Let's meet people who live and work in one of the smartest city: what services do they embrace today, what is their vision for the future, and what kind of culture do they think makes this all possible and what's their definition of a smart city.
Creating Your Smart Grid: A How-To Guide: The smart grid promises to bring unprecedented opportunities for both utilities and consumers, improving safety, reliability, efficiency and security. The latest communications technologies will greatly improve awareness of grid conditions – in real time – for better control, management and decision-making.
WHITEPAPER: D Block Spectrum Act and the FirstNet Broadband Network. What does it all mean?: On Feb 22, 2012, the Middle Class Tax Relief and Job Creation Act of 2012 was enacted into law. This law will ensure the establishment of a nationwide, interoperable public safety broadband network in every state and territory in the U.S. Learn about the new law and what you can do to prepare for it now.

Latest From Digital Communities Features

Follow @dcommunities

Law Enforcement Digital Infrastructure

Digital Communities members get access to our collaboration task forces

427 Members

77 Discussions

84 Files

Latest members Become a member

Digital Communities members get access to our collaboration task forces

669 Members

145 Discussions

150 Files

Latest members Become a member

Featured White Papers & Reports

The Future of the Desktop in Government

Until recently, there was no alternative to the familiar desktop computer, and its expensive upgrades and maintenance requirements. For cash-strapped local governments, the desktop computer is quickly becoming an unsustainable option for future progress. Now, a technology known as virtual desktop infrastructure (VDI) offers an alternative. It can be significantly more affordable than buying individual computers for every employee, and it provides similar capability. This paper shows how VDI is the future of the desktop and is a game-changer for local governments.

View Full Library

Events

GTC East

Don't miss this opportunity to see the latest in digital government solutions, keep abreast of current policy issues and network with key government executives, technologists and industry specialists.

View All Events