Truth in Spending Act Exposed

The Truth in Spending Act was adopted by ALEC's Tax and Fiscal Policy Task Force at the Annual Meeting on August 20, 1998, approved by the full Board of Directors August, 1998. According to ALEC.org, the Act was re-approved by the Board of Directors on January 29, 2013. (Accessed on 1/28/2016).

CMD's Bill Summary

This Act would require each state agency to include with its spending request a summary of all money spent or passed through the agency in the preceding year and an estimate of the money expected to be spent or passed through the agency in the current fiscal year.

ALEC Bill Text

Model Legislation

{Title, enacting clause, etc.}

Section 1. {Title}

This act shall be known and may be cited as The Truth in Spending Act.

Section 2. {Statement of Purpose}

Section 3. {Amendment to state revenue and tax code}

Section [cite appropriate section] is amended to read:

(A) Each State agency shall include with its budget submission to the Legislature a summary of all moneys that were spent or otherwise passed through the agency during the preceding fiscal year and an estimate of the moneys projected to be spent or otherwise pass through the agency for the current fiscal year. All such spending and handling and estimates of such spending and handling must be divided into major product and service categories and further expressed in unit-costs and the unit-cost totals must equal the total amount of moneys that were spent by or otherwise passed through the agency or that were projected to be spent or otherwise pass through the agency, as applicable.

(B) The Legislature shall reduce the appropriation for the ensuing fiscal year by an amount equal to at least 10 percent of the allocation for the fiscal year preceding the current fiscal year, the funding of each state agency that fails to include the summary required by subsection (A).

Section 4. {Severability Clause}

Section 5. {Repealer Clause}

Section 6. {Efective Date}

Adopted by the Tax and Fiscal Policy Task Force at the Annual Meeting, August 20, 1998.

Approved by the full ALEC Board of Directors August, 1998.