Transparency in Government Act

Floor Speech

Mr. QUIGLEY. Madam Speaker, nearly 4 years ago, I stood in this Chamber and talked about a deficit that was chipping away at our government. No, it wasn't the fiscal deficit, though that certainly is weighing us down; rather I warned of the deficit of trust that has caused the American people to lose faith in government and, quite simply, give up on Washington.

Back then, stories of scandals and ethics violations led nightly newscasts, and trust in government was at an all-time low of just 19 percent. Now, 4 years later, trust in government is still at 19 percent, though Congress' rating has dropped even lower, to 9 percent in recent polls. I regret to say that little has changed, including our efforts to rebuild that trust.

If Illinois politics has taught me anything, it is very hard to lead without that trust, and the only way to earn it back is to increase transparency and openness throughout our government. As Justice Brandeis said, Sunlight is the best of disinfectants.

That is why I am introducing the Transparency in Government Act, which will shine a light on every branch of the Federal Government, strengthening our democracy, and promoting an efficient, effective, and open government because the fact is that the mission of government matters.

What we do here in this Chamber matters, so much so that it is written in the very bedrock of American Government. We have been sent here to form a more perfect union, to promote the general welfare, and secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our posterity, but how we execute this mission matters.

The Transparency in Government Act utilizes 21st century technology to expand access to information, strengthen oversight of Federal spending, increase disclosures from both lawmakers and lobbyists, and improve judicial transparency.

The TGA will bring unprecedented accountability to the Federal Government and empower everyday citizens to be the government's best watchdog.

American taxpayers have a right to know how their hard-earned dollars are being spent, so TGA requires Members of Congress to post their official expenditures online, allowing every constituent to scrutinize their Representative's office budgets and spending reports.

It also requires Members to be up front about their personal finances, providing greater details about foreign travel and gifts; and when it comes to knowing who is working to influence the legislative process, the TGA establishes new definitions for lobbyists and stricter rules governing how and with whom they meet.

This bill also ensures Americans have access to the same expert nonpartisan information that shapes the policy decisions we make every day. It makes taxpayer-funded reports available for free to the public and requires all committees to make public hearing schedules, witness testimony, and even transcripts and recordings available online.

In the executive branch, the TGA requires clear and prominent disclosure when communications and advertising are sponsored using Federal funds; and it improves access to visitor logs for the White House and agency heads, so we know who is meeting with our Nation's highest leaders.

It strengthens the Freedom of Information Act, requiring agencies to put all completed FOIA requests online in a format that is searchable, sortable, and downloadable, and ensures that all agencies utilize the Web site FOIAonline to log, track, and publish requests.

Finally, the TGA calls for the judiciary branch to meet similar financial disclosure requirements that are already applied to the executive and legislative branches and make those disclosure statements publicly available online for anyone to review.

For the first time, this bill inscribes into law the public's right to hear oral arguments in the Supreme Court as they are delivered; and in an effort to use 21st century technologies, this legislation calls for a study on using live-stream video to air Supreme Court proceedings.

These are just a few of the bill's many reforms that will pull our government out of the past and modernize public access to information. The Transparency in Government Act has ambitious goals, but these reforms are no less than what our constituents expect and deserve.

It has been 4 years since I first introduced this bill, and we can't waste another minute allowing the status quo to erode Americans' faith in government. The time to act is now.

Let's usher in a new era of open government, win back the people's trust, and prove to our constituents that we are worthy of the responsibility we have been entrusted with.

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