The state of Missouri has launched a new web site to help taxpayers figure out how the state is spending their hard-earned cash. The Missouri Accountability Portal (MAP) has a database of state expenditures and shows which specific businesses or individuals were involved in the transaction, and it's updated at the end of every business day. By January 1st, you'll also be able to search the salaries of every state employee in Missouri.
Five states, including Kansas, passed laws this year to create these types of web sites, but Missouri's is the first to go online with daily updates. Congress has also authorized a similar site, which is set to be ready by year's end.
Kudos to Missouri Governor Matt Blunt for authorizing the project, and especially to the folks who got it ready to go so quickly. Transparency in government, especially in the way it spends tax dollars, benefits everyone.
Check out the Missouri Accountability Portal here.