House To Vote On Access To Congressionally Mandated Reports Act
Representative Mike Quigley (D-IL) introduced bipartisan legislation in January that would create an online portal for all congressionally mandated agency reports. Today, that legislation will go to the House floor for a vote.
The Access to Congressionally Mandated Reports Act would require the Director of the Government Publishing Office to establish and maintain an online website for the public to view any reports an agency submits to Congress based on a congressional request.
The bill has 21 House cosponsors, of which 13 are Democrats and 9 are Republicans.
A companion bill was also introduced in the Senate by Senator Rob Portman (R-OH). This bill has been cosponsored by Senator Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) and Senator Margaret Wood Hassan (D-NH).
Rep. Quigley is co-founder and co-chair of the Transparency Caucus and has introduced the bill in the last five congresses.
Rep. Quigley said in a statement, “In our modern technological era, the American people deserve easy access to these taxpayer-funded reports and the wealth of information they contain. The ability to obtain these reports will benefit anyone interested in the public policy issues that impact their daily lives… From congressional staffers and government employees to everyday Americans, these public reports strengthen our service to all those we represent, as well as our commitment to transparency at every level of government.”
The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) released a report last week outlining the cost of this legislation.
According to the CBO report, implementing the bill would cost $400,000 a year or $2 million over the 2019-2024 period. The report notes, “Those costs primarily consist of the salaries and expenses associated with four employees who would establish and maintain the website. In addition, there would be some costs for the agencies to collect and submit congressionally mandated reports.”
Last year the legislation passed out of committee, but never achieved a full floor vote.
