Governor Blunt's Accountability Portal Honored with American Business Award

FROM THE OFFICE OF THE GOVERNOR

June 17, 2008

Contact: Jessica Robinson, 573-751-0290


JEFFERSON CITY - Gov. Matt Blunt today announced that the team who developed his Missouri Accountability Portal (MAP) initiative has earned national recognition with an American Business Award. The Information Technology Services Division (ITSD) Team won the Best MIS and IT Team Category for the development of http://MapYourTaxes.mo.gov at the 2008 American Business Awards.

"I believe that all Missourians have a right to know where their money goes and how state government is spending their tax dollars. This is why my administration has been committed to making your state government more transparent and accountable with initiatives like the Missouri Accountability Portal," Gov. Blunt said. "Recognition like this validates the many efforts that went into our vision for an Internet site that allows Missourians to map their tax dollars."

The American Business Awards are the only national, allencompassing awards program honoring great performances in business. More than 2,600 entries from companies of all sizes and in virtually every industry were submitted for consideration in more than 40 categories, including Best Overall Company, Best Executive, Best New Product or Service, and Best Corporate Social Responsibility Program. The Missouri Accountability Portal (MAP) project team won the Best MIS & IT Team category.

"I am honored that our team won the 2008 American Business Awards in the Best MIS & IT Team category," said Alicia J. Weaver, director for Enterprise Applications and Data Management for the State of Missouri. "The talented team we assembled for Gov. Blunts initiative helped the State of Missouri provide government transparency on a level that is truly a first in the nation. This recognition reflects the hard work and dedication of everyone involved with the project."

Gov. Blunts MAP site is an Internet site enabling Missourians to track the expenditure of all tax dollars in near real-time. The governor encourages Missourians to visit the MAP site at http://mapyourtaxes.mo.gov.

The MAP site is one of the first comprehensive databases of financial records based on real-time data in the nation. The MAP site is updated at the close of each business day to provide up-to-date access to information about state spending. Anyone can search the MAP site by budget category, vendor or contract. Links to other public information maintained by the state are also available on the MAP site. The MAP expenditure site has also been enhanced to allow Missourians to review state expenditures by state agency and information regarding tax credits administered by the Missouri Department of Economic Development since tax credit application year 2000. The site also provides easy to access, real time information on state employee salaries.

For more information about The American Business Awards, visit http://www.stevieawards.com/aba.