Governor Bullock Applauds Report Showing Improved Transparency in Montana Government

Online checkbook cited as transparency victory

HELENA – Governor Steve Bullock today applauded a report released by the U.S. PIRG Education Fund, which showed that Montana was one of the most improved states in the nation regarding transparency and online access to government spending data.

"As Governor, one of my top priorities is providing Montanans with a more effective government," Bullock said. "In my first year in office, we’ve made great progress towards making our government more transparent and accessible."

The report shows that Montana, which had previously scored a 57 percent rating for online transparency, has now improved that number to 86 percent since last year.

The improved rating is attributed to the launch of the state’s Transparency in Government Portal. During his first month in office, Bullock put the state government’s checkbook online in a searchable database that any Montanan can freely access. Today’s report also highlights that Bullock did this without incurring any additional costs for state taxpayers.

The Following the Money 2014 report from the U.S. PIRG Education Fund is available at: http://www.uspirgedfund.org/reports/usp/following-money-2014