The United States Public Interest Research Group (U.S. PIRG) will release a new report, “Following the Money 2012: How the 50 States Rate in Providing Online Access to Government Spending Data,” evaluating each state on how well it provides spending information online and assigning them with “A” to “F” letter grades.

Several states have made significant progress toward checkbook-level transparency since last year’s report, which generated hundreds of media stories, as well as press statements from five governors. The report’s release comes in the middle of “Sunshine Week,” an initiative coordinated by the American Society of News Editors. While the report comes to many conclusions about how well individual states provide public access to spending information, it does not find any partisan pattern. The data shows that neither Democratic nor Republican-leaning states are more likely to have a high transparency score.

The report includes a colorful map and cover art.

WHO: Phineas Baxandall, Senior Analyst for Tax and Budget Policy, U.S. PIRG

Ryan Pierannunzi, Tax and Budget Associate, U.S. PIRG

WHEN: Wednesday, March 14, 2012