Government transparency: Nevada gets C, getting better

CARSON CITY — A new report is giving Nevada a high-five for improving online transparency of government spending.

The report released this week by the U.S. Public Interest Research Group Education Fund gave Nevada a grade of “C” for providing online access to government spending data. It’s an improvement over the D- the group gave Nevada last year.

“This year, most states have continued to make their budgets more open to the public, allowing users to better scrutinize how the government uses their tax dollars,” said Phineas Baxandall, a senior analyst with the research group. “Nevada has improved, and if the state keeps up this pace of advancement, it will be well on its way to becoming a leader.”

The report titled “Following the Money 2015: How the 50 States Rate in Providing Online Access to Government Spending Data,” is the sixth annual report by the research group.

Nationwide, all but two states allow users to search state spending online by agency, keyword, vendor, or a combination. Additionally 44 states provide checkbook-level data for one or more economic development subsidy programs, the report said.

Officials from Nevada and 46 other states provided the researchers with feedback on their initial evaluation of state transparency websites.

States with the most comprehensive transparent websites were Ohio, Indiana, Wisconsin, Oregon, Louisiana, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Florida, Iowa, Illinois, Montana, New York, Texas, and South Dakota.

Nevada ranked in the middle of states, but was noted as being the third most improved state in the nation this year.

The reported noted that Nevada’s website links to the state tax expenditure report and forgone revenue from tax credits, exemptions and deductions.

Nevada’s transparency website, open.nv.gov, is operated by the Nevada Budget and Planning Division, Department of Administration.

Contact Sandra Chereb at schereb@reviewjournal.com or 775-687-3901. Find her on Twitter: @SandraChereb.