House File 2512 - Introduced



                                       HOUSE FILE       
                                       BY  BOAL


    Passed House, Date               Passed Senate,  Date             
    Vote:  Ayes        Nays           Vote:  Ayes        Nays         
                 Approved                            

                                      A BILL FOR

  1 An Act relating to a searchable data base web site accessible to
  2    the public to provide data on state expenditures.
  3 BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF IOWA:
  4 TLSB 5543YH 82
  5 mg/nh/14

PAG LIN



  1  1    Section 1.  NEW SECTION.  23.1  SHORT TITLE.
  1  2    This chapter shall be known and may be cited as the
  1  3 "Taxpayer Transparency Act".
  1  4    Sec. 2.  NEW SECTION.  23.2  DEFINITIONS.
  1  5    As used in this chapter, unless the context otherwise
  1  6 requires:
  1  7    1.  "Department" means the department of management.
  1  8    2.  a.  "Entity" or "recipients" means any of the
  1  9 following:
  1 10    (1)  A corporation.
  1 11    (2)  An association.
  1 12    (3)  A partnership.
  1 13    (4)  A limited liability company.
  1 14    (5)  A limited liability partnership.
  1 15    (6)  A sole proprietorship.
  1 16    (7)  Any other legal business entity, including nonprofit
  1 17 entities.
  1 18    (8)  A county, city, school district, or other local
  1 19 government entity.
  1 20    b.  "Entity" or "recipients" does not include any of the
  1 21 following:
  1 22    (1)  An individual recipient of state assistance.
  1 23    (2)  An organization with less than three hundred thousand
  1 24 dollars in total income.
  1 25    3.  a.  "Expenditure of state funds" means the expenditure
  1 26 of any appropriated or nonappropriated funds by a state entity
  1 27 from the state treasury in forms including but not limited to
  1 28 the following:
  1 29    (1)  Grants and subgrants.
  1 30    (2)  Contracts and subcontracts.
  1 31    (3)  Loans.
  1 32    (4)  Cooperative agreements.
  1 33    (5)  Delivery, task, and purchase orders.
  1 34    b.  "Expenditure of state funds" does not mean any of the
  1 35 following:
  2  1    (1)  The transfer of funds between two state agencies.
  2  2    (2)  Payments of state or federal assistance to an
  2  3 individual.
  2  4    (3)  Individual transactions of less than twenty=five
  2  5 thousand dollars.
  2  6    4.  "Searchable web site" means a web site that allows the
  2  7 public to search and aggregate information identified in
  2  8 section 23.3 and which is in a downloadable format.
  2  9    Sec. 3.  NEW SECTION.  23.3  SEARCHABLE WEB SITE.
  2 10    1.  By January 1, 2010, the department shall develop and
  2 11 operate a single, searchable web site accessible by the public
  2 12 at no cost which provides access to information that includes
  2 13 at least all of the following:
  2 14    a.  For each expenditure of state funds, information
  2 15 including but not limited to all of the following:
  2 16    (1)  Name and principal location or residence of the
  2 17 recipient of the funds.
  2 18    (2)  Amount of state funds expended.
  2 19    (3)  Type of transaction.
  2 20    (4)  Funding or expending agency.
  2 21    (5)  Budget program source.
  2 22    (6)  Descriptive purpose of the funding action or
  2 23 expenditure.
  2 24    (7)  The North American industry classification system code
  2 25 of the recipient, if applicable.
  2 26    (8)  The city, county, and legislative districts in which
  2 27 the expenditure of state funds will primarily occur.
  2 28    (9)  Any other relevant information specified by the
  2 29 department.
  2 30    b.  The complete contents of any tax expenditure
  2 31 information or report prepared by the department of revenue.
  2 32    2.  The web site provided for in subsection 1 shall include
  2 33 data for the fiscal year beginning July 1, 2009, and each
  2 34 fiscal year thereafter.  This data shall be available on the
  2 35 web site no later than one hundred five days after the last
  3  1 day of the preceding fiscal year.
  3  2    3.  The department of revenue, treasurer of state, and any
  3  3 other state agency shall provide to the department such
  3  4 information as is necessary to accomplish the purposes of this
  3  5 chapter.
  3  6    4.  Nothing in this chapter shall require the disclosure of
  3  7 information which is considered confidential by state or
  3  8 federal law.
  3  9                           EXPLANATION
  3 10    This bill requires the department of management by January
  3 11 1, 2010, to develop and operate a single searchable web site
  3 12 accessible by the public at no cost.  The data to be included
  3 13 on the web site is, for each state expenditure, the name and
  3 14 principal location of the recipient of the funds; amount of
  3 15 state funds expended; type of transaction; funding or
  3 16 expending agency; budget program source; descriptive purpose
  3 17 of the funding or expenditure; the North American industry
  3 18 classification code of the recipient, if applicable; the city,
  3 19 county, and legislative districts where the expenditures
  3 20 primarily occur; and other relevant information specified by
  3 21 the department of management.  In addition, the web site is to
  3 22 provide the complete contents of any tax expenditure
  3 23 information or report prepared by the department of revenue.
  3 24 The data is to be provided for each fiscal year beginning with
  3 25 FY 2009=2010.
  3 26    The bill defines state expenditures to include grants,
  3 27 subgrants, contracts, subcontracts, loans, cooperative
  3 28 agreements, delivery orders, task orders, and purchase orders.
  3 29 A state expenditure does not include a transfer between state
  3 30 agencies, state or federal assistance to an individual, or
  3 31 individual transactions of less than $25,000.
  3 32 LSB 5543YH 82
  3 33 mg/nh/14