House panel advances bill to codify state auditors online payment portal

Representative Laurie Bratton introduced House Bill 166 to the House Judiciary Committee, asking lawmakers to codify the State Auditors public payments website and require ongoing posting of state expenditures.

"I'm here to introduce House Bill 166, State Auditor Payment Transparency," Bratton said, describing the portal as a way for residents to "see how the state spends our money." The bill would add a new duty to the auditors statutory responsibilities to publish payments, subject to state and federal law, and require posting within 30 days of a transaction and retention of posted records for at least five years.

The bill would formalize work the auditors office has already done through the public website (referred to in testimony as yopen.gov). State Auditor Kristi Racines told the committee the site was launched in July 2019 and has been…