Lack of Transparency Claim False

Majority lawmakers are being criticized for not being transparent as they continue to work on the budget. Critics are claiming the budget process is being “cloaked in secrecy” and that most GOP Members are not involved in the process.

Majority Members are in fact working hard with their Caucus to find a solution for this budget and providing more information than in years past. There was a time when Members used to meet behind closed doors and Democrats never got to see the budget until it was presented in a bill format.

This session, multiple public budget meetings have taken place, including business and municipal leader’s public roundtable discussions. There has also been a public release of DRAFT budget documents that list proposed solutions and cut options. Neither of these took place last year and releasing a draft of the budget before memorializing it in a bill is unprecedented.

A Caucus website has been established in order to open up transparency to the public. The web site includes budget updates and documents. The public also had the opportunity to attend discussions in multiple cities around the state where Leadership traveled to discuss the budget and explain the legislative process. The Education Committee also traveled the state discussing the Education Budget with the public.

Members of the Caucus are kept informed through a newsletter developed by the Majority Whip and are asked for their input. It is a top priority of the Majority Staff to involve all members of the Caucus in the budget process. In creating this budget, Leadership has been working with all of the Caucus Members by meeting with them in small groups.

It may seem that Majority Leadership is leading the budget from the outside with little input, but the House Appropriations Committee, made up of both Republicans and Democrats, has played a primary role in developing the budget and the committee reflects the actual body of the House.

In a push for transparency, Leadership has also established a Speaker’s Bureau and they are holding weekly Chairmen’s meetings.

Majority Leaders are not hiding the budget behind closed doors, and are instead introducing new steps in making the process more transparent than it ever was in the past.