While we here at OMB Watch have dedicated a great deal of time and effort to Recovery.gov, it's important to remember that the states themselves have Recovery Act websites. And it's just as important that these state websites are fully functioning, useful sites. Thankfully, Good Jobs First, an organization that is also part of the Coalition for An Accountable Recovery, just put out a great report today on this very subject, although it found that most state Recovery Act websites are in need of improvements.

The report, "Show Us the Stimulus: An Evaluation of State Government Recovery Act Websites," evaluates how the fifty states are using technology to "educate taxpayers about the impact of economic stimulus spending." It looks at how the states display information about the different categories of spending, the distribution of spending statewide, and the specific projects in the state, along with employment information. Additionally, the report evaluates the states on how they show transportation stimulus information, since that is often the most high-profile spending.

Unfortunately, the report finds that most states are failing at displaying stimulus information at this point in time. Only four states scored higher than 50% on the report's criteria, with one state (Illinois) getting a zero rating. Not good.

Recovery.gov, despite its shortcomings, looks good in comparison to many of the state Recovery Act websites. But both Recovery.gov and the state websites should take a look at Maryland's website, which scored the highest on the report with 80%, and start taking notes. While it isn't perfect, it does have a great mapping function, which is very helpful in understanding how and where the state's stimulus funds are being spent.

Hopefully, the people in charge of Recovery.gov's redesign will read this report, and take its lessons to heart. Kudos to Good Jobs First for a helpful, timely report.

Image by Flickr user Chris Daniel. Used under a Creative Commons license.