Connecticut is the latest state where taxpayers have gained direct online access to government spending data and other resources, thanks to the efforts of local conservative think tanks.

The Yankee Institute for Public Policy has launched CTSunlight.org. The New Haven Register coverage includes reaction from state officials and some interesting revelations from the Connecticut site:

For instance, the Department of Veteran’s Affairs spent $1,210 in fiscal year 2007-08 on New York Yankees tickets.
The Department of Children and Families and Department of Corrections both hired clowns, named Dimples and Huggles, in fiscal year 2007-08, for $550 and $600, respectively.
State agencies spent more than $5 million on cell phone services in fiscal year 2008-09. Less than $200,000 was spent on beepers and pagers in the same period. The Division of Criminal Justice spent more than $800,000 in 2008-09 to compensate witnesses. The state spent just shy of $4 million on various subscriptions, from a $362 “book of the month club” for the Department of Veteran’s Affairs to a $298 subscription to the Financial Times for the office of the state treasurer. A search under “movie tickets” shows the Department of Children and Families and the Department of Developmental Services spent $13,651 in 2009 on tickets.

Many other conservative and libertarian think tanks around the country have developed open-government sites that make the operations of state governments more transparent to the taxpayers who pay the bills. Some provide the data directly in searchable and downloadable form. Others, like our own NCTransparency.com in North Carolina, focus on assessing the open-government policies of state and local agencies and pushing for more disclosure. It’s all good. You can check out a map of public and private transparency programs and websites here and find out what’s available in your state.

If you find any taxpayer-funded clowns in your neck of the woods, please pass along their names. I’m compiling a list. And, yeah, no need to include the names of your congressional delegation. Already got ’em.