Modeled after a new federal program, the proposed database has been supported by both ends of the political spectrum, including liberal groups such as the American Civil Liberties Union and conservative groups such as Americans for Tax Reform.

The online database has been approved by the House of Delegates and made it through a key Senate committee without opposition on Wednesday.

Taxpayers can keep track of state spending now - so long as they have plenty of patience and an intimate knowledge of the Byzantine workings of the budget process. The online database is being advertised as a tool that will make following the money accessible to anyone with a computer and an Internet connection.

"This is tremendous, and it helps our taxpayers understand how the money's being spent, which might not be clear to them now," said Del. Warren E. Miller, a Howard County Republican who sponsored the bill in the House. "It will certainly help me understand how $31 billion is being spent."

"Everyone seems to agree that taxpayers have a right to see how their money's being spent," said state Sen. Alex X. Mooney.

"This is about a basic foundational principle of representative government," agreed state Sen. Jamie Raskin.

Some lawmakers expressed concern that such a site would make political attacks easier or set up easy misinterpretations of the state's complicated $31 billion budget.

"Decisions are made here on a daily basis, things are so fluid, that it's hard for anyone to get an accurate portrayal," said Senate President Thomas V. Mike Miller. "Knowing enough to properly interpret the numbers is quite challenging."

Still, Miller said he would support the bill. "It's the public's money and the public has a right to know," he said.

The federal database is fairly user-friendly. For example, entering "Johns Hopkins" into the search for government aid reveals that the Baltimore university racked up $737,528,494 in grants in the past fiscal year, or 0.1 percent of all federal spending.

A handful of states have created similar databases, including Kansas, Hawaii, Minnesota, Missouri, Oklahoma and Texas, and a number of others are considering it.

In Maryland, all expenses over $25,000 would show up on the database.