When the Senate took up the $819 billion House-passed economic stimulus package (H.R. 1) the week of Feb. 2, not only did the chamber modify myriad spending and tax measures, but it also altered the bill's transparency and accountability provisions. The Senate's version of H.R. 1, the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA), contains less detail on specific data the Obama administration must provide on stimulus spending. Neither version provides the level of detail that may be needed to collect and disseminate information about the type of jobs that are created or preserved, the wages paid to workers, or information about who may be getting such jobs. The assumption is that the Obama administration, through its Recovery.gov website, will tackle these thorny implementation issues.

The House is poised to vote on an $825 billion economic stimulus package. The legislation represents a historic effort to stabilize the economy through fiscal policy by approving $275 billion in tax cuts and $550 billion in direct spending, including funding for health care, education and job training, community development and housing, and energy and transportation infrastructure projects.