Senator Joe Pennacchio

September 10, 2009

Contact: Bill Murray / (609) 292-5199
Senator Joe Pennacchio (R-26), Transparency in Government

State Senator Joe Pennacchio (R – Morris/Passaic) was joined in Trenton today by various state and national taxpayer groups in support of his Transparency in Government Act. They called on the Corzine Administration to fulfill its commitment to transparency.

The participants included: Americans for Tax Reform, Sandra Fabry from the Center for Fiscal Accountability, Jerry Cantrell and Neil Coleman from the New Jersey Taxpayers Association and Parsippany Council President John Cessaro.

Pennacchio and the taxpayer advocates called on the Administration to place all state expenditures on a user friendly, timely and easy to navigate website. “The Governor in his State of the State speech committed to doing so,” said the Senator. “That was seven months ago.”

Recently, the Administration came under criticism for its website detailing the expenditures of federal stimulus monies. Senator Pennacchio said, “that website is a great example of how not to create a transparency website. It is confusing and has very little useful information compared to other states. It is useless. If this website is any indication of how the state’s transparency website will look, it is a failure before it even begins.”

The Senator has bipartisan legislation pending which would create a transparency website. He contends while the legislative process proceeds, the Administration can create the site and continue modifying it. “Legislation would ensure that all future administrations would ’show New Jersey taxpayers the money,’” concluded Pennacchio.

Link to Post:

http://www.senatenj.com/index.php/pennacchio/tax-groups-join-senator-pennacchio-calling-for-the-adoption-of-the-transparency-in-government-act/4113

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