House Passes Major Spending Transparency Bill

Press Release

On a vote of 388-1, the House of Representatives today adopted H.R. 2061, the Digital Accountability and Transparency Act (DATA Act). The DATA Act will make federal spending data publically available and easily accessible, and will create more useful government-wide financial data standards. It will also improve the management and comprehensiveness of USASpending.gov by placing it under the control of the Treasury Department.

"The DATA Act is an important piece of legislation. It will create the opportunity for government to be more efficient, more effective, and more transparent," said House Oversight and Government Reform Committee Chairman Darrell Issa, R-Calif. "The American people deserve real accountability of how their taxpayer dollars are spent, now, more than ever."

"Plain and simple, federal spending data will be easier to access under this bill," said House Majority Leader Eric Cantor, R-Va., a strong supporter of the legislation.

Companion legislation, S.994, sponsored by Senators Mark Warner, D-Va., and Rob Portman, R-Ohio, was reported out of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee on an unanimous vote on November 6th.

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