House Judiciary Committee Approves Bipartisan Bill to Increase Transparency of Federal Government's Egregious Actions

Press Release

The House Judiciary Committee today approved by voice vote the Open Book on Equal Access to Justice Act(H.R. 3279), a bipartisan bill authored by Rep. Doug Collins (R-Ga.) and Constitution and Civil Justice Subcommittee Ranking Member Steve Cohen (D-Tenn.).

The bill reinstates tracking and reporting requirements of payments made by the federal government under the Equal Access to Justice Act (EAJA) in order to increase transparency and inform Congress of the impact and effectiveness of the law. The Administrative Conference of the United States (ACUS), tasked with compiling this data under the bill, is required to submit an annual report to Congress and establish an online searchable database that will allow the public access to how much has been paid from the EAJA, from which agencies, and to whom taxpayer dollars are being paid.

Congress initially passed the EAJA in 1980 as a means to help individuals, retirees, veterans, and small businesses recover attorneys' fees and costs associated with suing the federal government when the government's actions are egregious. Although Congress included a requirement that agencies and the Department of Justice issue annual reports on the amount of money paid out under the law, Congress ended those tracking and reporting requirements in 1995. The Open Book on Equal Access to Justice Act would reinstitute those reporting requirements.

The Open Book on Equal Access to Justice Act was passed during the 113th Congress by voice vote.

House Judiciary Committee Chairman Bob Goodlatte (R-Va.), Rep. Collins, and Rep. Cohen issued the following statement praising the Committee's approval of the bill:

"Our government works best when its activities are transparent and easily available to the American people as well as their elected representatives. For too long there has been a lack of reporting and record keeping on the use of the Equal Access to Justice Act (EAJA), which makes it difficult for Congress to assess the impact of the law. Requiring agencies to keep track of the true costs of attorneys' fees will help Congress determine if EAJA is working well, and what Congress can do to improve the law in the future. We want to thank our fellow Committee members for approving this legislation, and look forward to working with our colleagues to have this legislation adopted in a bipartisan manner on the House floor."

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