Bill calls for Iowa Web site that tracks tax money

President Obama's call for government transparency has trickled down to Iowa, where a bill was introduced to create a Web site containing easy-to-navigate data on taxpayer dollars. Republican supporters are optimistic about the site, which would be modeled after similar endeavors in other states. However, one Democratic senator has already raised concerns that funding a $40,000 Web site will be difficult in the face of a tight state budget.

The state of Iowa would have to launch a searchable Web site available to the public to catalog how tax dollars are spent under a bill proposed Wednesday in the Iowa Legislature.

Republican supporters in both houses of the Legislature said during a news conference at the Statehouse that such a Web site would allow for greater transparency in state government by turning all of Iowa’s citizens into budget watchdogs.

They likened keeping track of taxpayer dollars in Iowa to searching through a maze, but they said the proposed Web site would streamline the process.

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