On April 25, Reo. Kristi Noem joined in a unanimous voice vote approving the "Digital Accountability and Transparency Act," which would make permanent the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act's reporting and oversight board.
What? You mean Kristi thinks something about President Obama's economic stimulus program actually worked? Must be:
But there is one area where the legislation has had a definitive effect, one clear impact that transcends politics and is almost universally acknowledged: The stimulus has done more to promote transparency at almost all levels of government than any piece of legislation in recent memory. Many states launched or enhanced their open government initiatives around the same time as the stimulus, drawing on both the lessons learned and technical know-how they developed as they implemented the heightened federal reporting requirements that came with ARRA. It's an impact that seems to excite watchdogs and wonks more than the politicians who bicker over the economic impact of the spending [Ryan Holeywell, "Did the Stimulus Do Anything for Transparency?" Governing, February 2012].
States are worried about the costs associated with tightening practices on how they report the use of federal funds. The CBO says DATA Act will cost Uncle Sam $575 million to implement over five years and may save over $5.1 billion.