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| FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE |
| State Rep. Bill Kortz |
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Kortz language included in PennWATCH bill
HARRISBURG, Feb. 8 – State Rep. Bill Kortz, D-Allegheny, said language he authored was included in a reform measure today.
Kortz provided an amendment to H.B. 15, which would establish the PennWATCH Act to develop a public website containing revenue and expenditure information of Commonwealth agencies. Kortz’s amendment A-227 incorporates links to each Commonwealth agency website within the PennWATCH database.
"This would make the PennWATCH system, which is intended to create more transparency in government spending, more user-friendly," Kortz said. "This is a valuable reform measure, and I'm pleased to see that my addition received unanimous, bipartisan support."
House Bill 15 would require the state treasurer to develop, implement and maintain a single, searchable public website known as the Pennsylvania Web Accountability, Transparency and Contract Hub, or PennWATCH. The website would contain the revenue and expenditure information of Commonwealth agencies in numerical and, where appropriate, graphical depictions. It would allow the public to search for and aggregate information at no cost.
The bill is expected to go for a final vote in the House Wednesday, Feb. 9.