Taxpayers scored a victory last night when the Senate agreed to Senator Tom Coburn’s amendment to provide needed transparency in the budget process.

“The Coburn amendment requires that any limitation, directive, or earmarking be included in the bill’s conference report. Previous Senate procedures allowed the Senate to automatically approve earmarks or special projects included in the House version of an appropriations bill. Consequently, many earmarks that became law did not even come up for a vote in the Senate. This process was used to essentially hide millions of dollars of pork spending from public view.”

The Senate agreed to the amendment by a vote of 55-39. In case you were wondering, these are the 39 Senators who do not think it is a good idea:

Allard (R-CO), Baucus (D-MT), Bennett (R-UT), Bond (R-MO), Bunning (R-KY), Byrd (D-WV), Carper (D-DE), Chambliss (R-GA), Cochran (R-MS), Coleman (R-MN), Conrad (D-ND), DeWine (R-OH), Dole (R-NC), Dorgan (D-ND), Durbin (D-IL), Frist (R-TN), Grassley (R-IA), Gregg (R-NH), Hagel (R-NE), Harkin (D-IA), Hatch (R-UT), Hutchison (R-TX), Jeffords (I-VT), Johnson (D-SD), Kennedy (D-MA), Lautenberg (D-NJ), Leahy (D-VT), Lincoln (D-AR), Lott (R-MS), Murray (D-WA), Pryor (D-AR), Reed (D-RI), Reid (D-NV), Sarbanes (D-MD), Shelby (R-AL), Smith (R-OR), Stevens (R-AK), Thune (R-SD), Vitter (R-LA).