State online checkbook is unveiled

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) - General Treasurer Frank T. Caprio announced on Monday the unveiling of the first ever online, real-time Rhode Island state government website that allows citizens to see where their tax dollars are being spent.

The debut of Treasury Online Checkbook is the fulfillment of a promise Treasurer Caprio made during his election campaign for general treasurer in 2006, when he said his office would take the lead in efforts to make state government more transparent, accessible and accountable to the citizens of Rhode Island.

When citizens of Rhode Island log onto the new site they will be able to view all of Treasury's Accounts Payable expenditures.

"This website brings treasury expenditures to the public in a format that's easily accessible and familiar to anyone who has used online banking," said Treasurer Caprio.

"We believe firmly that transparency, and the accountability it inspires, are not just good for government, but good for Rhode Island," said Caprio.

The new checkbook online is the culmination of a joint project with the Office of General Treasurer, Department of Administration and RI.gov.

"Through all their efforts, especially those talented individuals at RI.gov., the Office of the General Treasurer's transparency website was constructed with no outside consultants or programmers," said Caprio.

"This pilot project achieves a key priority of my administration. Our hope is that the Office of the General Treasurer's transparency site will quickly become the model for state and local government in their efforts to be more accessible and accountable to the taxpayers of Rhode Island," Treasurer Caprio said.

About RI Treasury: The Office of General Treasurer mission is to protect the state's assets through sound financial investments, to strengthen the state's financial position, to assist families in investing funds for their children's higher education and to ensure Rhode Islanders receive superior service through all the programs he manages.

About RI.gov: RI.gov is Rhode Island's homepage and official state government website and a collaborative effort between the State of Rhode Island and Rhode Island Interactive. The RI.gov site and services are developed and maintained by Rhode Island Interactive, a Providence-based, wholly owned subsidiary of the eGovernment firm NIC (Nasdaq: EGOV).

About DOA: The Department of Administrative Services provides a wide variety of services to a number of different customers. Some of our primary resource management services include: Accounting Services, Budgeting, Human Resources and Management Information, Technology, Purchasing, Capital Project Management, Facilities Management, Risk Management, Statewide Planning and Legal Services.