Searchable website will list all state contracts and grants
On July 1, a new Hawai‘i law, Act 272, was enacted without the governor’s signature. It requires online full disclosure of all entities and organizations receiving state funds starting on Jan.1, 2009, and including all contracts, grants and other awards to businesses, nonprofits, partnerships and government agencies, beginning with fiscal year 2008.
Within 30 days after a state award is made, the new, free website will list:
- The name of the entity receiving each award
- The amount of the award
- Information such as transaction type, funding agency, the North American Industry Classification System code, program source and a title descriptive of award’s purpose
- The awardee’s address and the location of performance under the award;
- Unique identifiers for the entity receiving the award and its parent entity, if it has one
- Any other relevant information specified by the Department of Budget and Finance
House Bill 122, which created the new law, includes an appropriation of $250,000 for fiscal year 2007-2008 to create the new web site.
Paul Jacob, writing in the newsletter of the Grass Roots Institute Hawai‘i where he is on the board of advisors, said Google launched “Google U.S. Government Search” last year, an online tool to find federal government information. Later, Arizona, California, Utah and Virginia announced partnerships with Google to do the same for state data.
A federal law passed last year that directed that information about federal grants and contract disbursements be put online. Four states – Minnesota, Oklahoma, Kansas and Texas –followed suit and also opened their books to taxpayers online. Now Hawaii has joined the list. According to Senator Barak Obama (D-Ill.), who cosponsored the federal legislation, “Googling the government will not only help expose and eliminate waste, but dispel misconceptions about the scope of our commitments."
