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Souder Cosponsors Bipartisan Government Transparency Bill
Legislation Would Expand Info. Available on USASpending.gov
June 26, 2008
U.S. Reps. Mark Souder (R-IN) and Chris Murphy (D-CT) announced today that they are introducing H.R. 6411, the Strengthening Transparency and Accountability in Federal Spending Act of 2008, legislation that would make it easier for the public to discover how their tax dollars are being spent.
“Government transparency is fundamental to our democracy, and I am pleased to cosponsor this bipartisan legislation, which will enhance the amount, and type, of information available to the American public,” Souder said. “Simply put, this bill would make the federal government more accountable.”
“In the past year and half, we’ve opened up the books on how the Congress does business,” Murphy said. “This bill makes it even easier for taxpayers to see how their government is operating.”
Today’s bill would allow visitors to USASpending.gov to view copies of federal contracts and obtain information on competitive bidding, earmarks, government lease agreements, work quality, federal audit disputes, any violations or criminal activities, federal tax compliance, and government reports. It would also improve the Web site’s searchability, provide a method to report errors, ensure data accuracy, and require a quality audit of the Web site every six months.
The Strengthening Transparency and Accountability in Federal Spending Act of 2008 was introduced in the Senate earlier this month by U.S. Sens. Barack Obama (D-IL), Tom Coburn (R-OK), Tom Carper (D-DE), and John McCain (R-AZ).
Souder was a cosponsor of the House companion to S. 2590, the Federal Funding Accountability and Transparency Act, which was enacted into law in 2006. The law requires the public disclosure of all recipients of federal funding and financial assistance through the creation of a Web site: USASpending.gov (launched in December 2007).
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