FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

March 5, 2013

CONTACT: Ashley Wilson, Public Information Officer – (360) 786-7761
Rep. Brad Hawkins – (360) 786-7832

Hawkins transparency bill passes the House

A measure to increase transparency in government spending supported by Rep. Brad Hawkins, R-East Wenatchee, passed out of the House of Representatives unanimously on Tuesday afternoon. Hawkins is the lead Republican co-sponsor of the bill. He and fellow freshman legislator Marcus Riccelli, D-Spokane, have teamed up to move the legislation through the process.

House Bill 1733 would leverage existing government data to create a user-friendly online map which would display capital and transportation spending by legislative district and county.

“Taxpayers deserve to know where their money is going,” said Hawkins. “This bill will allow the public to easily determine which projects were funded by state dollars. It’s a pretty simple and logical idea, and I’m thrilled the bill is moving forward.”

“I appreciate the support that both sides of the aisle have given this bill, and in particular the willingness of Rep. Hawkins to be co-sponsor.  Transparency is a bipartisan issue that we can all champion,” said Riccelli.

Having passed the House of Representatives, HB 1733 will next be considered by the Senate Government Operations Committee.
For more information, visit our Web site at: houserepublicans.wa.gov.

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Washington State House Republican Communications
houserepublicans.wa.gov
455 John L. O’Brien Building
P.O. Box 40600
Olympia, WA 98504-0600