Congressional Transparency Proposal Released
The Sunlight Foundation released a revised version of its model transparency legislation on Thursday that incorporates suggestions posted to PublicMarkup.org during the proposal's public review period since March. The group wants to make the collaboratively written document a reality on Capitol Hill and looks forward to working with members of Congress to move a bill forward, officials said.
The proposal updates existing congressional disclosure requirements for the Internet age. It specifies technological and reporting requirements to make more information about lawmakers and their influencers, the work of Congress and of the executive branch meaningfully accessible to the public, with an emphasis on publishing congressional information online.
"By posting the bill on PublicMarkup.org, we demonstrated a potent new advocacy model. Our hunch was right -- an open and public advocacy process is an effective way of evaluating ideas and influencing policy," Sunlight's John Wonderlich said in a press release.
Stakeholders who helped shape the language online raised policy questions like: Should Congressional Research Service Reports be public? How often should political action committees and candidates disclose their campaign finance receipts? How should the Freedom of Information Act be strengthened? In what ways should lobbying disclosure be expanded? Read more on the initiative here.
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