It's Your Money - Making good use of the Intenet
by Missouri Rep. Ed Emery (R-126 including the counties of
Barton, Dade, Jasper and Polk)
Access to the Internet is becoming almost a necessity in today’s culture. The supply of online information seems, at times, unlimited. Even when I talk to constituents who do not own computers, they frequently get online at a local library or by using the computer of a family member or friend. Internet access is helping to put the public back in charge of government, and it may ultimately restore “…of the people, by the people and for the people…” to the status of principle and not just proverb.
The Missouri Accountability Portal (MAP) is a newer website found here (http://mapyourtaxes.mo.gov/MAP/). This free site provides easy-to-use access to state spending data. At the earliest possible stage, every person who pays taxes can see how his or her tax dollars are being spent.
Visitors to the MAP site can search by budget category, vendor, or contract. Those in disagreement with what they are seeing should contact their state senators or representatives.
Here are some other state websites that are informative: Missouri Department of Transportation (www.modot.org) to report potholes and areas that need mowing or find the latest information on work zones; the Amber Alert System (www.missouriamberalert.com) for missing children and the Missouri Department of Conservation (www.mdc.mo.gov) for hunting, fishing, and outdoor information. The official House and Senate websites may be found at www.house.mo.gov and www.senate.mo.gov. Each site provides additional helpful links to “surf.” Go Back | 
