[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 160 (2014), Part 3]
[House]
[Page 4347]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                     TRANSPARENCY IN GOVERNMENT ACT

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from 
Illinois (Mr. Quigley) for 5 minutes.
  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.

                          ____________________