Title: Judgment Fund Transparency Act of 2017
Policy area: Government Operations and Politics

Summary:
Judgment Fund Transparency Act of 2017
This bill requires the Department of the Treasury to disclose details after payments are made from the Judgment Fund. The Judgment Fund is a permanent and indefinite appropriation to pay judgments against the United States. Unless the disclosure is prohibited by law or a court order, Treasury is required to make available to the public on a website: the agency or entity whose actions gave rise to the claim or judgment, the plaintiff or claimant, the counsel for the plaintiff or claimant, the amount paid, a description of the facts that gave rise to the claim, and the agency that submitted the claim.

[Congressional Bills 115th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 565 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

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115th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                 S. 565

 To amend title 31, United States Code, to provide for transparency of 
                 payments made from the Judgment Fund.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                             March 8, 2017

 Mrs. Fischer (for herself, Mr. Gardner, Mr. Grassley, and Mr. Crapo) 
introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the 
                       Committee on the Judiciary

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
 To amend title 31, United States Code, to provide for transparency of 
                 payments made from the Judgment Fund.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Judgment Fund Transparency Act of 
2017''.

SEC. 2. JUDGMENT FUND TRANSPARENCY.

    (a) Transparency Requirement.--Section 1304 of title 31, United 
States Code, is amended by adding at the end the following:
    ``(d) Unless the disclosure of such information is otherwise 
prohibited by law or court order, the Secretary of the Treasury shall 
make available to the public on a Web site, as soon as practicable, but 
not later than 30 days after the date on which a payment under this 
section is tendered, the following information with regard to that 
payment:
            ``(1) The name of the specific agency or entity whose 
        actions gave rise to the claim or judgment.
            ``(2) The name of the plaintiff or claimant.
            ``(3) The name of counsel for the plaintiff or claimant.
            ``(4) The amount paid representing principal liability and 
        any amounts paid representing any ancillary liability, 
        including attorney fees, costs, and interest.
            ``(5) A brief description of the facts that gave rise to 
        the claim.
            ``(6) The name of the agency that submitted the claim.''.
    (b) Implementation.--The Secretary of the Treasury shall implement 
the amendment made by this section beginning not later than 60 days 
after the date of enactment of this Act.
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