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AB

Bill

A 3147

"Transparency in Government Act"; provides for establishment of State public finance website.

2026-2027 Regular Session Introduced by Al Barlas and 6 co-sponsors

Creates a public, centralized website with state revenues, expenditures, and bonded debt data to boost transparency and accountability.

Introduced, Referred to Assembly State and Local Government Committee
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Bill Summary · A 3147

Summary of Bill A 3147 (Session 222) — Transparency in Government Act (New Jersey)

Purpose and intent

  • Establishes a State public finance website to promote transparency in government finances.
  • Aims to provide residents with a centralized, user-friendly source to track state revenues, expenditures, and bonded indebtedness.
  • Designed to enhance public access to financial data while preserving privacy protections required by law.

Key provisions and changes

Public finance website (Section 3)

  • The State Treasurer, in consultation with the Chief Technology Officer, must design, develop, and maintain a single, searchable internet website accessible without charge.
  • Website content must cover:
    • Annual State expenditures, including:
    • Disbursements by state agencies
    • Bond debt services (debt amounts, interest, funding sources)
    • Salaries and wages for state employees
    • Contractual services, commodity purchases, capital outlay and improvements
    • Aid to local units of government plus any other relevant data as determined by the State Treasurer
    • Annual State revenues, including:
    • Receipts/deposits by agencies
    • Taxes and compulsory contributions
    • Agency earnings (merchandise, services, licenses, permits, regulation)
    • Revenue from use of money and property
    • Gifts, donations, and federal grants
    • Other and non-revenue receipts
    • Annual State bonded indebtedness, including:
    • Original principal and interest
    • Term, funding sources, principal/interest paid, remaining balance
    • Refinancing data
    • Authorizing statutory/constitutional authority
    • Any additional data the State Treasurer, with input from the CTO and Public Finance Transparency Committee, may designate

Data scope and timelines (Section 3, subsections)

  • The website must include data for fiscal year 2000 onward; data may be periodically updated but cannot be removed.
  • Data from the central accounting and State payroll systems must be posted as soon as practicable, no later than 45 days after the end of the preceding fiscal year.
  • The Treasurer may adopt policies to add data from other sources.
  • The initial website implementation is not required to include data not yet available in central systems.

Public Finance Transparency Committee (Section 4)

  • A new committee within the Department of the Treasury to advise on the website’s scope, content, and format.
  • Membership (13 total):
    • State Treasurer (or designee)
    • Chief Technology Officer (or designee)
    • Director of the Division of Budget and Accounting (or designee)
    • Two State agency officials appointed by the Governor
    • Four public members (two appointed by the Governor; one by Senate President; one by Assembly Speaker)
    • Four members of the Legislature (appointed by Senate President, Senate Minority Leader, Assembly Speaker, Assembly Minority Leader)
  • Functions:
    • Provide advisory input on accessibility and expansion of the site
    • Recommend additional data sources and integration after initial implementation
    • Gather public, professional, and academic feedback
    • Issue annual reports to the Governor and Legislature detailing progress, public input, and proposed enhancements

Implementation timeline and effect

  • Effective immediately upon enactment.
  • Section 3 (website design/development) takes effect on the first business day of the seventh month after enactment.
  • Requires cooperation from all state agencies to compile data; privacy protections remain in place for private or confidential information.

Potential impact

  • Improves government financial transparency and accountability by providing centralized access to expenditures, revenues, and indebtedness.
  • Enables residents, researchers, and policymakers to analyze fiscal trends and bond obligations with aggregate data.
  • Establishes a formal governance structure (Public Finance Transparency Committee) to guide ongoing enhancements and ensure public input.

Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.

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