Good-government organizations and watchdog groups in New York are calling for an executive order to strengthen transparency plans promised a year ago by Gov. Kathy Hochul.
The measures, backed by the groups in a letter released Thursday, called for updating state agency transparency efforts, a checklist for compliance and current transparency requirements, making improvements to the state Division of Budget's database for how capital spending is being doled out and creating a public website for the budget office's transparency plan.
The letter, released by Reinvent Albany and the Citizens Budget Commission, also pointed to some agencies that have sought metrics and deadlines for boosting government openness, including the Department of Environmental Conservation and the Metropolitan Transportation Authority.
"With the anniversary of this directive soon approaching, we ask that you issue an Executive Order requiring agencies to publish annual updates of their transparency plans and provide measures that allow the public to track their progress," the groups wrote in the letter.
The new administration a year ago pledged to boost government accountability on key transparency issues, including the Freedom of Information and Open Meetings laws.