Commentary: Santa Fe- A bill that makes public what a governor spends taxpayer money on for expenses directly connected to the obligations of the governor’s office passed the senate 27-2 today after passing Senate Public Affairs and Finance unanimously. Currently, what the reportedly $70,000 Governor’s Contingency fund is spent on is not public.
Among other things, Senator Sander Rue’s (R-Albuquerque Westside) Senate Bill 27 requires:
· a governor to provide monthly reports to the legislature on what the money is spend on
· a yearly audit of the Governor’s Contingency fund
· does not allow the fund to be used to supplement the governor’s salary
Senator Rue’s bill eliminates a current section of law that presently exempts the public funds from being audited and open to the public. Senator Rue said the bill does not tell a governor how to spend the money, it would make the spending decisions open to the public.
Senator Rue is known to be a champion of openness in State Government because of the numerous government transparency bills he sponsors and supports.