By Seth Grove

Harrisburg has a problem when it comes to money. Our state government is not the most transparent in the nation; in fact, we rank below average, coming in at 28th in PIRG's Following the Money, 2018 study.

State Rep. Seth Grove, R-York

While it's not unusual that state governments lag behind the private sector FASB financial reporting standards to start with a weak ranking among states is doubly alarming. Neighboring states like Ohio are leading the way and creating national models for the rest of the country.

Even the federal government has made great strides with the Digital Accountability and Transparency Act of 2014, and could potentially take another step toward best data management practices with the Grant Reporting Efficiency and Agreements Transparency Act.

The time has come for Pennsylvania to adopt tried and true reforms to dramatically improve its financial transparency.

The first step lawmakers need to take to untangle the Keystone state's finances by improving financial transparency.

My legislation doing that cleared the House with a bipartisan supermajority (178-12) and it is now before the state Senate.

Proposals within this legislation would dramatically increase the scope and detail of the Treasury's Transparency Portal by incorporating some of the features of a model budget website, the Ohio Checkbook.

The bill would codify into law the transparency gains encapsulated in the current Treasury Portal, protecting it from being shut down in the future. The legislation would further require state agencies to report their finances online. This would allow the Treasurer to incorporate the financial data into the portal, enabling the public to see how their tax dollars are being spent.

Opponents of transparency requirements often complain that financial disclosure compliance costs will outweigh any benefits of enhanced public awareness of state finances.

But such a concern would only prove legitimate if government financial accounts indeed clean of any waste, fraud, and abuse, a hard thing to believe given the existing transparency issues. Just look at the dubious accounting tricks that led to

.

This is not an isolated incident unfortunately.

Rep. Joseph Markosek, of Allegheny County, the ranking Democrat on the House Appropriations Committee chair, recently pointed out that the finances of the state and its various agencies are so inexplicable that even the Appropriations Committee staff does not fully understand them.

Disclosure of state finances in such a condition of disarray may result in more confusion than illumination. The benefit to this is that it would undoubtedly generate public scrutiny and outcry.

A surge in grassroots advocacy would help compel lawmakers to support state financial transparency reform similar to accounting practices within the FASB guidelines.

Their jobs should depend on it.

State legislators across the country are beginning to feel a sense of urgency to identify financial reporting problems and to rebuild their "rainy day funds" before financial disaster strike and it's too late. It's time to end the obfuscation, open the books, and show the public what is really going on in the halls of the Capitol.

State Rep. Seth Grove, a Republican, represents the York County-based 196th House District. He writes from Harrisburg.