Dave Reichert H.Res.874 Government Transparency Legislation Passes

Proposal Opens All Committee Votes to Public Scrutiny Washington, Jan 5 - Congressman Dave Reichert (WA-08) today announced passage within the first hours of the 112th Congress of legislation he authored that would increase government transparency by requiring each of the 21 standing Committees in the U.S. House of Representatives to post recorded votes on their websites within 48 hours.

Reichert’s H.Res.874 was included in the package of rules to govern the U.S. House in the 112th Congress, and will allow Americans better access to each and every vote taken by their representatives.

“Passage of this legislation sets an appropriate and respectful tone for how we should serve our constituents in the 112th Congress,” Reichert said. “The American people deserve openness, transparency, and to know how their representatives vote in all cases, and I’m pleased with the message we’re sending them today with this important vote.

“In the coming months we will debate and pass proposals that will affect the health, livelihood and well being of each and every American, and they should have the right to know how that legislation takes shape at every step along the way,” Reichert continued. “In this day and age it makes no sense that we’re not already offering this information, and my bill will ensure we’ll provide it in a fiscally responsible and easily accessible way by using the existing official committee websites.”

BACKGROUND

To address the inequity that exists with regard to taxpayer access to information, H.Res.874 is a part of Congressman Reichert’s Common Cents Agenda. This initiative is composed of a variety of legislation that is targeted to ensure government is transparent and accountable to taxpayers. Reichert initially introduced H.Res. 874 on October 28, 2009, in part as a solution to the way in which negotiations were conducted on the trillion-dollar government-run health care overhaul. Had Reichert’s legislation been law at the time those negotiations took place, it would have provided a full picture of members’ support or opposition to a proposal and, for example, quickly revealed that 38 amendments were considered in the House Ways & Means Committee, but 0 passed. This legislation is a fiscally responsible transparency measure that will provide constituents a critical view of what their Member supports at every point in the legislative process.

Contact: Amanda Halligan (206) 275-3438

TEXT CREDIT: Congressman Dave Reichert Washington, DC Office U.S. House of Representatives 1730 Longworth Building Washington, DC 20515 (202) 225-7761 (202) 225-4282 Fax Hours: 9:00 am to 6:00 pm ET, Monday – Friday

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