Lobbying Disclosure
Congress and the Executive Branch should focus on making the work of lobbyists and other paid influencers more transparent.
Money in Politics Disclosure
To uncover the levers of access and influence in Congress and the White House, real time online disclosure of money in politics must become the standard.
- Enact Legislation to Disclose Dark Money in Elections
- Appoint FEC Commissioners Committed to Transparency
- The IRS Should Tighten and Enforce Rules Regarding Electioneering Activities of Nonprofits
- The SEC Should Require Companies to Disclose Political Spending
- Improve the FCC's Political File Database
- Mandate Disclosure of Tax Returns and Bundlers by Presidential Candidates
- Enact Legislation to Disclose Corporate Political Spending to Shareholders
- Require Senators to Electronically File Campaign Finance Disclosure Reports
Government Data
There is a wealth of government data that must be made accessible to the public.
- Create an Index of Federal Agencies' Major Datasets
- Enact the Public Online Information Act
- Enact the Access to Congressionally Mandated Reports Act
- Make Congressional Research Service Reports Publicly Available
- Implement the Digital Accountability and Transparency Act
- Adopt FOIA Reforms
- Review the Personal Financial Disclosure System
- Report Earmark Requests from Congress Online
Enact the Public Online Information Act
Congress should pass the Public Online Information Act (POIA), legislation that requires Executive Branch agencies to publish all publicly available information on the Internet in a timely fashion and in user-friendly formats.
Background
POIA requires Executive Branch agencies to publish public information on the Internet subject to limited, commonsense exceptions. It requires OMB’s E-Government Administrator and CIOs at independent agencies to craft disclosure regulations reflecting a presumption of openness and transparency. It grants a limited private right of action (similar to that under FOIA) to guarantee that the government lives up to its transparency obligations. POIA also creates a special federal advisory committee, with members appointed by each branch of government, plus one appointed by GSA, to coordinate the development of Internet disclosure policies.
POIA’s scope is limited in three major ways:
- Sunrise provision: Internet disclosure of public records becomes mandatory three years after POIA’s enactment, giving agencies time to prepare.
- Prospective application: Only public records generated, updated, or released after POIA’s enactment must be published online, limiting the timeframe of disclosure.
- Content-based exemptions: Public records exempt from disclosure under the Freedom of Information Act may also be exempted from POIA’s online publication requirement. Additional records beyond the scope of FOIA may be withheld if it is in the public’s interest.
In the age of the Internet, government is transparent only when public information is available online.
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