Florida Senate - 2009 SB 594
By Senator Aronberg
27-00268A-09 2009594__
1 A bill to be entitled
2 An act relating to the state budget; creating s.
3 216.352, F.S.; providing a short title; providing
4 legislative intent; providing definitions; requiring
5 the Office of Policy and Budget in the Executive
6 Office of the Governor to create a searchable budget
7 data website; specifying factors to be used to search
8 the website; requiring the office to establish the
9 website by a certain date; requiring state agencies to
10 provide data; requiring the website to be updated
11 annually; providing an effective date.
12
13 Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
14
15 Section 1. Section 216.352, Florida Statutes, is created to
16 read:
17 216.352 State budget website.—
18 (1) SHORT TITLE.—This section may be cited as the “Taxpayer
19 Transparency Act.”
20 (2) INTENT.—The Legislature finds that the public needs to
21 be fully informed about any expenditure of state revenues. This
22 includes the purposes for and amount dispersed to state
23 agencies, political subdivisions, and private entities. The
24 Legislature also finds that the manner in which the state budget
25 is organized and displayed makes it difficult for the public to
26 determine how state funds are appropriated, to whom funds are
27 appropriated, and the reasons for specific expenditures. The
28 Legislature therefore intends that a searchable website be
29 established that facilitates the public's ability to access
30 detailed and understandable information relating to the
31 appropriation of state revenues and the dispersal of those
32 funds.
33 (3) DEFINITIONS.—As used in this section, the term:
34 (a) “Funding action” means the program or activity for
35 which revenues are expended or dispersed, including any tax
36 exemptions or credits.
37 (b) “Recipient” means:
38 1. A state agency.
39 2. A political subdivision such as a county, municipality,
40 school district, special district, authority, or any other
41 public or quasi-public agency or corporation created by the
42 State Constitution or by state law for the purpose of carrying
43 out a public function.
44 3. A private firm, association, joint adventure,
45 partnership, estate, trust, business trust, syndicate,
46 fiduciary, corporation, or any other for-profit or not-for
47 profit business entity or organization.
48 The term does not include an individual recipient of state
49 assistance.
50 (c) “Searchable budget database website” means a website
51 that allows the public at no cost to search and aggregate
52 information relating to the appropriation and expenditure of
53 state funds.
54 (d) “State agency” means any entity of the executive,
55 legislative, or judicial branch of state government to which
56 funds are specifically appropriated in the appropriations act.
57 (e) “State audit or report” includes any audit or report
58 issued by a state agency relating to the recipient of state
59 funds, the expenditure of those funds, or the program or
60 activity for which the funds are expended.
61 (f) “State budget office” means the Office of Policy and
62 Budget in the Executive Office of the Governor.
63 (4) DATABASE.—
64 (a) By January 1, 2010, the state budget office shall
65 develop, maintain, and make publicly available a single budget
66 database website that is searchable by any of the following
67 factors:
68 1. The name and principal location or residence of the
69 recipient of state funds.
70 2. The amount of funds expended and dispersed to a
71 recipient.
72 3. The funding or expending state agency.
73 4. The budget entity, appropriation category, and line-item
74 number from which the expenditure is made.
75 5. The program or activity for which the funds may be
76 expended.
77 6. A descriptive purpose and goals for the funding action.
78 7. The expected performance measures for the funding
79 action.
80 8. The past performance outcomes achieved for the funding
81 action or expenditure.
82 9. Any state audit or report related to the expenditure and
83 dispersal of state funds.
84 10. Any other relevant information specified by the state
85 budget office.
86 (b) All state agencies receiving and dispersing
87 appropriated funds to recipients shall provide the state budget
88 office with data and information necessary to accomplish the
89 purposes of this section.
90 If possible, hyperlinks shall be provided to the actual
91 recipient's website, the budget line item, as well as any
92 related state audits or reports.
93 (c) Effective July 1, 2010, and each state fiscal year
94 thereafter, the searchable budget database website shall be
95 updated not later than 30 days following the close of the state
96 fiscal year. The searchable budget database website may be
97 continuously updated as new data becomes available. All state
98 agencies shall provide to the state budget office any data that
99 is required to be included in the searchable budget database
100 website not later than 30 days after the data becomes available
101 to the agency. The office shall provide procedures and guidance
102 to agency heads to ensure compliance with this section.
103 (d) The state budget office shall ensure that all data
104 added to the searchable budget database website remains
105 accessible to the public for a minimum of 10 years.
106 Section 2. This act shall take effect July 1, 2009.