Sunlight Releases 'Beta' of its Model Transparency Bill Based on Citizen Feedback on PublicMarkup.org

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

July 31, 2008

Contact: Gabriela Schneider 202/742-1520

WASHINGTON, DC –Today, the Sunlight Foundation released a revised version of its model transparency legislation—the Transparency In Government Act of 2008—which incorporates suggestions posted to PublicMarkup.org during the bill’s public review period. Sunlight posted the bill online in March and invited the public to analyze and further shape the omnibus transparency bill the Foundation drafted.

"We were impressed with the feedback the Transparency In Government Act of 2008 received and are looking forward to working with members of Congress to move this bill forward,” said John Wonderlich, program director of the Sunlight Foundation. “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.”

The Transparency in Government Act of 2008 updates current 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 digitizing and publishing congressional information online.

PublicMarkup.org’s blog-like layout allowed users to comment on the entire bill, or on specific sections. Citizens addressed such policy questions as:

• Should Congressional Research Service Reports be public?


• How often should political action committees (PACs) and candidates disclose their campaign finance receipts?


• How should the Freedom of Information Act be strengthened?


• In what ways should lobbying disclosure be expanded?

Based on public feedback, the revised version of the bill now includes numerous modifications, including new requirements for improving oversight of the executive branch and provisions articulating the best methods for accessing legislative data.

Citizens can comment on the revised version of the Transparency in Government Act of 2008, as Sunlight fine-tunes the legislation during negotiations with lawmakers on Capitol Hill.

The Sunlight Foundation supports, develops and deploys new Internet technologies to make information about Congress and the federal government more accessible to the American people. Through its projects and grant-making, Sunlight serves as a catalyst to create greater political transparency and to foster more openness and accountability in government. Visit SunlightFoundation.com to learn more about Sunlight’s projects, including Let Our Congress Tweet, EarmarkWatch.org and OpenCongress.org.
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