WASHINGTON—Before heading home to Chicago for district work period, Congressman Mike Quigley (D-IL) introduced the Transparency in Government Act--H.R. 4983--a multi-faceted bill that would bring unprecedented access and accountability to the federal government.  Just yesterday, Quigley unveiled the bipartisan Transparency Caucus, of which he is a co-chair. The new group is dedicated to the enforcement of current transparency laws and advocating for new initiatives.

“As Justice Brandeis said, ‘sunlight is the best of disinfectants,’ and at a time when trust in government is so perilously low, ushering in a new era of open government is one of the best ways to win it back,” Quigley said.  “With the amount of global information we can access instantly on a smartphone, the federal government should have no trouble making its work available online to the public.  For anyone who worried the Transparency Caucus would be all bark, here is the bite.”

Quigley’s comprehensive bill emphasizes transparency throughout the federal government with a focus on utilizing new technologies, increasing disclosures from both lobbyists and lawmakers, and strengthening oversight of federal spending.  Highlights of the bill include:

• Establishing new definitions for lobbyists and stricter rules governing how and with whom they meet

• Creating the first-ever searchable, sortable, and downloadable database for earmarks, where taxpayers can see all appropriations in one place

• Improving public access to information about Members of Congress, including disclosure of financial information, travel reports, gifts, and earmark requests

• Requiring committees to post all roll call votes and video of hearings and mark-ups online

• Improving oversight and accuracy of USAspending.gov (federal contracting Web site) by allowing the public to report errors and requiring audits of the information on the site

• Instructing all FOIA requests of federal agencies be published online promptly after they are completed

For a complete summary of the bill and fact sheet, click here.

Since his election to Congress one year ago and for the decade prior as a Cook County Commissioner, Rep. Quigley has made reform, transparency, and fiscal responsibility the cornerstones of his legislative agenda. He has posted all of his spending requests online immediately and was also a cosponsor of H. Res. 554 to require that legislation and conference reports be available online for 72 hours before consideration by the House. Rep. Quigley currently serves as a Member of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform and co-founded the bipartisan Transparency Caucus with Ranking Member Rep. Darrell Issa (R-CA).