If an initiative the State Senate proposed today becomes law, the public will be able to review the performance of government programs on a new website to see how effectively agencies are spending tax dollars. The initiative also includes a plan to build on the Senate’s recent approval of a Constitutional spending cap.
"Establishing an interactive website like ResultsNYS.com is critical if government is to be transparent and accountable," said Senator Mary Lou Rath (R-C-I, Williamsville). "We need to reassure New Yorkers that their tax dollars are being spent wisely."
The ResultsNYS.com initiative is patterned after the Federal Office of Management and Budget’s ExpectMore.gov website, as well as the Commonwealth of Virginia’s "Virginia Performs" website. This proposal would establish a new, use-friendly website that provides the public the ability to review the performance of state government agencies and programs. People visiting the site could also submit their recommendations on how to stop government waste and reduce state spending.
Another key component of the Senate plan is a measure that would establish a Constitutional spending cap. Under the legislation, year-to-year state spending increases would be limited to 120 percent of the Consumer Price Index or 4 percent, whichever is less. In any given year, fifty percent would be returned to taxpayers in the form of direct tax rebates. If such a cap had been in place the last five years, state taxpayers would have saved over $13 billion, half of which would have been returned to taxpayers and the other half placed in a rainy day reserve fund.
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