With EveryCRSReport.com, taxpayer-funded research is now available to the public in an accessible way.
Continue readingContinued cuts to legislative branch budget hurt transparency, accountability, and capacity.
This morning, the House Appropriations Committee's Legislative Branch Subcommittee marked up its FY 2014 funding bill, agreeing to a plan that would cut funding for Congress and legislative support agencies well below FY 2013 levels, and even beneath sequestration levels for most offices. Committee leadership claimed that cuts were necessary to "lead by example" and help get the government's "fiscal house in order," but, in reality, the cuts will likely limit accountability, access to information, and the ability of Congress and the legislative support agencies to do their jobs efficiently and effectively. The shrinking budgets could also make it more difficult for Congress to implement a number of important transparency initiatives. Specifically, the plan would continue several years of cuts to House operations and the Government Accountability Office that have diminished the capacity of both bodies.
Continue readingIt’s Time to Give the Public Access to CRS Reports
Today, Representatives Leonard Lance (R-NJ) and Mike Quigley (D-IL) reintroduced legislation that will make it easier for the public, the media,... View Article
Continue readingSunlight Testimony: Bulk Access to THOMAS and Access to CRS Products
Earlier today I testified before the House Appropriations Subcommittee on the Legislative Branch on lifting a publishing restriction on CRS... View Article
Continue readingForeign Transparency Policies the US Government Could Learn From
The White House blog recently wrote about Obama’s trip to India and mentioned that US-based organizations could learn from Indian... View Article
Continue readingNew Bill to Make CRS Reports Widely Available
Yesterday, Sen. Joe Lieberman introduced a resolution (S. Res. 118), with a bipartisan cast of cosponsors, to allow for the... View Article
Continue readingLocal Sunlight
This week I have highlights from