New site to detail state government spending

ALBANY - A new Web site allows New Yorkers to find out how the state, local governments and schools spend taxpayer money and how elected representatives use public funds to cover their expenses.

The Empire Center for New York State Policy, part of the fiscally conservative Manhattan Institute think tank, unveiled www.SeeThroughNY.net Thursday. It can help New Yorkers find out how much the politicians in their district spend on travel expenses, long distance phone calls, or even how much their leased office space costs taxpayers.

The site offers searchable databases for the entire payroll of more than 200,000 state government employees - cross referenced by name, title, branch of government and agency.