Gov. Bill Richardson signed a bill today that will require the state to create an online, searchable database of all state government contracts over $20,000.
Lt. Gov. Diane Denish, who pushed for the approval of House Bill 546, sponsored by Al Park, D-Albuquerque, hailed the database as a way to increase transparency in state government.
“New Mexicans deserve to know who is doing business with their government. This law will enable all citizens to track state government contracts, follow the flow of public money and understand how it is being used,” Denish said in a new release. “Ethics reform in government starts with transparency, and I’m proud to have worked hard on this effort which guarantees more sunshine on the business of government.”
While most bills approved in the session that just ended take effect in June or July, lawmakers decided for some reason that this bill shouldn’t take effect until Jan. 1, 2010, so don’t expect to see a publicly accessible online database for awhile.