SENATE CORPORATIONS AND TRANSPORTATION COMMITTEE SUBSTITUTE FOR

SENATE BILL 159

49th legislature - STATE OF NEW MEXICO - first session, 2009

AN ACT

RELATING TO PUBLIC ACCESS TO BUDGET INFORMATION; REQUIRING CREATION OF A SEARCHABLE BUDGET DATABASE WITH PUBLIC ACCESS; ENACTING THE BUDGET TRANSPARENCY ACT.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF NEW MEXICO:

     Section 1. SHORT TITLE.--This act may be cited as the "Budget Transparency Act".

     Section 2. DEFINITION.--As used in the Budget Transparency Act, "department" means the department of finance and administration.

     Section 3. SEARCHABLE BUDGET DATABASE--PUBLIC ACCESS--REQUIRED CREATION.--

          A. The secretary of finance and administration, in coordination with the secretary of information technology, shall develop and make available to the public an easily accessible, searchable budget database on the department's web site that is a single unit and that displays the state operating budget for each year beginning with fiscal year 2011 by August 1 of each fiscal year.

          B. The state budget database shall include all appropriations of state and federal money available for expenditure in the fiscal year.

     Section 4. STATE BUDGETS.--

          A. A budget shall remain available and able to be searched on the web site of the department for at least a ten-year period.

          B. No later than August 1, 2011, and in every subsequent year, the secretary of finance and administration shall post operating budgets for the current fiscal year on the department's web site. The budgets shall be able to be searched and made clearly accessible to the public.

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