Pa. bill would ease records access

HARRISBURG - Detailed state spending information soon could be a few clicks away.

The state House on Wednesday passed a bill that would make it easier to access public records of spending by all areas of state government.

The bill, which calls for creation of an online spending database called PennWatch, now heads to the Senate. Leaders of that chamber have said they support the bill.

"We must do everything in this chamber with a level of fiscal responsibility of the highest degree, and we've done that in this bill," sponsor Jim Christiana (R., Beaver) said during floor debate Wednesday.

Although it passed unanimously, many Democrats said the bill fell short.

Rep. Curtis Thomas (D., Phila.) complained that the bill does not call for disclosing detailed spending records for publicly financed projects completed by nongovernmental entities.

He said the bill was "devoid of the opportunity to make that kind of information available."

Thomas asked colleagues to view the legislation as a starting point for providing public access and accountability.

On Tuesday, the Republican-controlled House rejected several Democratic amendments that would have expanded the bill. One amendment would have required the database to include spending records for capital projects.

One amendment that did pass would require that the database include information on salary, overtime, and bonuses paid to all state employees.

The bill calls for the Department of Treasury to create the database by December and to include links to contracts and audits, descriptions of programs, amounts of expenditures, and recipients of state funds.