Bringing increased transparency to government

U.S. Supreme Court Justice Louis Brandeis once said, "Sunlight is the best disinfectant."

For too long the federal government has gone about its business in secret. Congress has added special-interest provisions to bills behind closed doors, spent millions with no regard to fiscal reality, and purposely passed bills no one had the chance to read.

Throughout the year, Democrats in Congress have passed expensive and massively consequential bills without any meaningful scrutiny, including a 1,073-page, trillion-dollar "stimulus" bill which was released at 10:00 p.m. the night before the vote, and a 1,200-page national energy tax bill which had an additional 300 pages tacked on at 3 a.m. the day of the vote.

Over the years as majorities have changed, both parties have been guilty of substantially changing legislation at the last moment or pushing through bills in the dark of night. This is not a case of Republican versus Democrat, but a case of what is right for the American people.

All Americans should have access to the information they need to make sure Congress is doing its job. This is why I am supporting several transparency initiatives -- commonsense congressional reforms aimed at bringing much-needed openness and accountability to the federal government.

Congressional statements of disbursements are now available online for the first time at http://disbursements.house.gov. The Statement of Disbursements -- which documents all Congressional, Committee, Leadership, and administrative offices expenditures -- allow taxpayers to see exactly how their hard earned money is being spent.

I also support legislation which requires all bills to be posted online for a minimum of 72 hours before they are brought to a vote on the House floor, and I have previously written about the need for such legislation. I agree with those who say this already should be happening and not even a subject of debate. However, even something as simple as letting the public read a bill before Congress votes on it has stalled in Washington.

Similarly, I have supported efforts to have Members' committee votes posted online within 48 hours so the American people can see how their representatives vote at this critical, but often overlooked, stage of legislating. I also have called for media access to the House Rules Committee (the panel which meets behind closed doors to decide which bills and amendments can come before the full House for a vote), and to make sure major negotiations on sweeping bills which would dramatically expand the reach of the federal government (such as the current government takeover of health care) are open to the public.

The fact such negotiations still are occurring away from the public eye flies directly in the face of President Obama's pledge that such discussions take place before television cameras. It is time to make good on that and other promises of openness.

These measures should be brought before the House of Representatives for debate, and the American public should have the chance to weigh in on the need for a more transparent federal government.

You can read more about these and other transparency initiatives at my website http://adriansmith.house.gov or a special website hosted by Republican Leader John Boehner (R-OH): http://gopleader.gov/readthebill. In addition, my complete voting and legislative record is available through my website as well as the Library of Congress' website http://thomas.loc.gov, where you can view all amendments and bills from this and previous sessions of Congress.

With the federal government spending trillions of dollars this year and contemplating spending trillions more, we must instill a sense of fiscal responsibility and accountability if we want to avoid another fiscal nightmare. The best way to achieve this accountability is by shining sunlight on the matter -- transparency which is long overdue.