Crawford Introduces Sunshine on Government Act

Today, Congressman Rick Crawford (AR-1) introduced H.R. 2221 the Sunshine on Government Act which will centralize reports that are conducted by the Inspector General. The Sunshine on Government Act will require the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to assemble a website with educational material and a listing not only of each entity with publicly-accessible OIG reports, but direct links to the area within each entity’s website dedicated to OIG reports.

“The Sunshine on Government Act will allow for greater access of Inspector General Reports by the American people. Currently these reports are difficult, at best, to locate and to understand. The Sunshine on Government Act will help the public more easily find and better understand these reports, which will establish an ever greater level of transparency of the federal government,” said Crawford. “In light of recent scandals that have plagued various federal agencies over the last two years this is the least we should do for the American people at a time when confidence in the federal government is at historic lows.

Crawford said that both parties in both chambers of Congress should look to expedite this legislation to ensure that the American people believe elected officials are doing everything they can to make these reports more easily accessible and understandable for the public:

“Both parties in both Chambers of Congress should expedite this legislation and direct OMB to get this process started immediately,” stated Crawford. “The American people should be able to easily find these reports and the resources to understand and use them. Anything less will only lead the American people to believe we are not serious about shining a light on the problems within the federal agencies that are accountable to Congress and subsequently the American people.”

Background Information:

OIG inspections insure that taxpayer dollars are being utilized wisely and examine the inner workings of every federal agency to root out and correct waste, fraud, and management deficiencies. The Sunshine on Government Act looks to change the status quo in regards to the ease of accessibility to these reports by the American public as well as provide educational resources on how to understand and interpret the findings included in various OIG publications. Below are some key facts about H.R. 2221, the Sunshine on Government Act:

• SOGA would direct the office of OMB to assemble a website with a listing of each federal agency or entity with an OIG that issues reports
• SOGA would direct the office of OMB to also provide a direct link to the area within each federal agency’s or entity’s website that is dedicated to OIG reports
• SOGA would require the office of OMB to create and maintain educational material and resources available to the American public so they can fully understand and interpret the published OIG reports

Congressman Rick Crawford represents Arkansas’s First Congressional District in the United States House of Representatives. Crawford serves on the Agriculture Committee and the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee. On the Agriculture Committee, Crawford is Chairman of the Livestock, Rural Development and Credit Subcommittee. Congressman Crawford and his wife Stacy live in Jonesboro with their two children.

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Washington, DC – Today, Congressman Rick Crawford (AR-1) introduced H.R. 2221 the Sunshine on Government Act which will centralize reports that are conducted by the Inspector General. The Sunshine on Government Act will require the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to assemble a website with educational material and a listing not only of each entity with publicly-accessible OIG reports, but direct links to the area within each entity’s website dedicated to OIG reports.