Quigley Re-Introduces Government Transparency Legislation

WASHINGTON — Today, U.S. Representative Mike Quigley (IL-05), co-founder and co-chair of the Transparency Caucus, re-introduced the Transparency in Government Act to increase access, accountability, and transparency in every branch of the federal government. The legislation would expand financial disclosure requirements for both lawmakers and lobbyists, modernize how the public access financial disclosures, and improve judicial transparency. Quigley has introduced this legislation each congress since his first term.

“Increasing transparency around the federal government is a critical step in our work to restore Americans’ faith in their government after the troubling Trump years. The Transparency in Government Act takes common sense steps to increase public access to the information that directly impacts their lives and makes that information easier to understand,” said Quigley. “I’m proud to have led this legislation for so long and I’m confident that if we pass my bill, we can restore the public’s trust in our government.”

The Transparency in Government Act will:

• Increase disclosure of Members’ personal finances, office expenses, gift reports, and foreign travel
• Publish reports on Member finances online
• Make the Select Committee on Modernization of Congress permanent
• Require US Capitol Police to publish all arrest information online
• Increase public access to Supreme Court proceedings by requiring television coverage be permitted in all open sessions
• Require all federal judicial disclosure forms be available online
• Strengthen the Freedom of Information Act by requiring agencies to put all completed FOIA requests online in a searchable, sortable, and downloadable format
• Improve access to budget justifications by the Office of Management and Budget, in accordance with Quigley’s Congressional Budget Justification Transparency Act

This legislation is endorsed by Demand Progress and Open the Government.

“We applaud the re-introduction of the Transparency in Government Act, a landmark compendium of excellent governmental transparency and accountability measures,” said Daniel Schuman, policy director at Demand Progress. “Rep. Quigley has proven himself a champion for governmental reform, and his new legislation, should it be enacted, would bring much needed Sunlight into the federal government.”

“The Transparency in Government Act includes provisions that encourage transparency as a core value across all branches of the federal government,” said Lisa Rosenberg, executive director of Open The Government. “Specifically, it includes essential reforms to the Freedom of Information Act that would enhance public access to information, meaningful disclosure requirements for lawmakers and lobbyists, and measures to reduce the body of secret law that impacts the public without its knowledge.”