A recently-introduced piece of legislation in the House of Representatives would require the director of the Government Publishing Office to create and maintain a website with publicly available electronic copies of all congressionally mandated reports.
“With an abundance of innovative, 21st century technology, it’s not too much to ask the federal government to make already published reports — paid for by taxpayers — easily accessible to the public,” said the bill’s sponsor, Rep. Mike Quigley, D-Ill. “These reports, which span every issue area with in-depth, expert analysis, would provide valuable information to congressional staffers, students, journalists, businesses, and anyone else who wants to learn more about the policies that impact their lives. A more open and user-friendly data system will help Americans be better informed and help them hold elected officials accountable for the actions they take on constituents’ behalf.”
The bill would require the director of GPO to establish the website within one year of enactment, with a requirement that reports appear on the site no more than 30 days after their submission to Congress.
This is not the first time the bill, titled the Access to Congressionally Mandated Reports Act, has been introduced, according to Demand Progress policy director Daniel Schuman.
“ACMRA has a complex history for a simple bill. It was first introduced in the House of Representatives in the 111th Congress by [now retired] Rep. Steve Dreihaus, but did not advance for partisan reasons. After Rep. Dreihaus was defeated, Rep. Mike Quigley took up the mantle and has reintroduced it in every subsequent Congress, always with bipartisan support. It got hung up in the 112th Congress with a snag from the Intelligence Committee, which was resolved but not in time for floor consideration. It was favorably reported by the two committees of jurisdiction in the 113th and 114th Congress, with co-sponsorship by the chair and ranking members of the Oversight and Government Reform Committee,” wrote Schuman in a Medium post on the bill. “In the Senate, it was introduced in the 112th Congress, only to die an ignominious death with the Senate Rules Committee declined to hold a markup of any legislation the entire session. It was poised for introduction in the 113th, but an agreement couldn’t be reached for a markup with the Senate Rules committee, and in the 114th member and staff turnover prevented introduction.”
The bill has received support from 38 organizations, who wrote a letter to members of Congress saying:
The ACMRA has been referred to the House Oversight and Government Reform and House Administration Committees.
Jessie Bur covers federal IT and management.
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