The new portal allows citizens to track the health of the state’s general fund and compare historical expenditures and information.
“I promised to bring transparency to our state government, and this new feature provides taxpayers with a dynamic look at how the state is spending their money," Torsella said in a press release. "Knowledge is power, and by providing access to this information, we can help taxpayers and policymakers see and understand the budget challenges the commonwealth faces."
The website will be updated daily with the state’s most current financial information, and historical financial records will extend back to the 2014-15 fiscal year, according to the release.
"This is only the first phase and we will continue to add more detailed data on how the state spends taxpayer dollars," Torsella said. "My goal is to make it possible for Pennsylvanians to review the state’s finances as easily as they can their own."
Similar portals have been launched in states like Ohio, Florida and Rhode Island. Though none of the websites seem to function exactly alike, spending and comparability between agencies and fiscal years is a common theme.
The Ohio Checkbook allows constituents to dive into state spending back to 2008 in an easily digestible form, while Transparency Florida provides a wealth of spending information in less visual, data-rich form. Rhode Island’s overall transparency site offers a mix of both visual and data-rich financial information.
