Consumer group gives N.J. a ‘C+’ on spending transparency

A consumer group says New Jersey needs to be more transparent about where the state’s money goes.

The New Jersey Public Interest Research Group gives the state a grade of C-plus when it comes to disclosing data on its spending.

While the state has made significant progress from its F grade two years ago, the current rating is unchanged from last year, said Jennifer Kim, an advocate with the group.

“New Jersey did make significant strides by providing online checkbook-level detail for government spending, but hasn’t gone any further to provide more detail. For example, providing links to contracts or more summary information to describe what that spending is,” Kim said.

With consumers able to instantly get detailed credit card and banking information online, Kim says the state should provide a similar level of access to its spending data to help hold the government accountable.