Sunlight has updated and refined our legislative priorities in order to generate greater change and a more transparent Congress. In addition to the legislative changes outlined below, we hope to create a transparency caucus advisory committee that will further the transparency conversation on Capitol Hill. Our full Sunlight Agenda, and the principles behind it, can be found here. Within that Agenda we have identified four specific priorities. They would all create meaningful change, and we believe they are achievable in the short term:

1.) Meaningful lobbyist disclosure. All who are paid to engage in direct issue advocacy with lawmakers and their staff should be required to register, and all registered lobbyists should disclose all legislative contacts, all legislation and regulations discussed, and any relationship to a current member of Congress, staff member, or executive branch employee. Ideally, lobbyist reports should be filed online within 24 hours of any meeting or contribution. At a minimum, timely disclosure would require monthly reporting Bundled contributions from any source should be disclosed.

2.) Contemporaneous online filing. The public reports currently required of lawmakers should be filed electronically and shared online in a downloadable, searchable, sortable format within 24 hours of their filing. The Senate should follow the House's lead and make Personal Financial Disclosure reports available online, and both bodies should ensure that online disclosure of any public report is not delayed beyond 24 hours of filing. Likewise, campaign finance reports should be electronically filed in the Senate as they are in the House, and should be publicly available within 24 hours. Personal Financial Disclosure reports should be amended to require disclosure of the affiliations of Members (and their spouses and their adult children) with political action committees, "Leadership" PACs, and any 501(c)(3) or 501(c)(4) organizations. They should also disclose immediate family members' employment or other economic relationships with for profit and not-for-profit entities.

3.) Ending secret legislation. All non-emergency legislation should be posted online, in its final form, at least 72 hours before a vote. The spirit of recently enacted rules changes on earmark disclosure should be upheld by ensuring that all information related to earmarks, including the purpose of the earmarks as well as identification of the beneficiaries should be made available online 72 hours before a vote on the legislation containing the earmarks.

4) Make congressional research, databases and other information publicly accessible. Congressional Research Service reports, Legislative Information System documents and other non-classified research or information available to members of Congress and their staff should be made available, online and free of charge, to the public.