Title: Improving Transparency for the American People Act of 2019
Policy area: Congress

Summary:
Improving Transparency for the American People Act of 2019
This resolution expands the duties of the Clerk of the House of Representatives to include
The resolution requires the Clerk's website to include a database of the expiration dates of all federal programs and a database of certain recorded votes taken in committees, beginning with the 116th Congress.

[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 526 Introduced in House (IH)]

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116th CONGRESS
  1st Session
H. RES. 526

  Amending the Rules of the House of Representatives to implement the 
  first set of recommendations adopted by the Select Committee on the 
                       Modernization of Congress.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             July 25, 2019

Mr. Kilmer (for himself, Mr. Graves of Georgia, Ms. DelBene, Mr. Rodney 
 Davis of Illinois, Mrs. Brooks of Indiana, Ms. Scanlon, Mr. Cleaver, 
  Mr. Woodall, Mr. Pocan, Ms. Lofgren, Mr. Timmons, and Mr. Newhouse) 
submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee 
 on Rules, and in addition to the Committees on House Administration, 
 and the Judiciary, for a period to be subsequently determined by the 
  Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall 
           within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
  Amending the Rules of the House of Representatives to implement the 
  first set of recommendations adopted by the Select Committee on the 
                       Modernization of Congress.

    Resolved,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This resolution may be cited as the ``Improving Transparency for 
the American People Act of 2019''.

SEC. 2. ADOPTION OF STANDARDIZED FORMAT FOR LEGISLATIVE DOCUMENTS.

    The Clerk is authorized and directed to provide periodic updates to 
the Committee on House Administration and the Committee on Rules 
regarding the implementation of the U.S. Legislative Markup and a plan 
for its completion including a timeline.

SEC. 3. LEGISLATION COMPARISON PROJECT.

    The Clerk shall report to the Committee on House Administration and 
the Committee on Appropriations an assessment of the funding and other 
resources needed to expedite and complete the legislation comparison 
project, including the training of staff.

SEC. 4. ASSIGNMENT OF UNIQUE IDENTIFIERS FOR REPORTS FILED BY 
              REGISTERED LOBBYISTS.

    (a) Assignment of Identifiers.--The Clerk, in consultation with the 
Secretary of the Senate, shall establish and implement a process under 
which the Clerk shall assign a unique identification number with 
respect to each person who files a registration statement or other 
report required to be filed with the Clerk under the Lobbying 
Disclosure Act of 1995 (2 U.S.C. 1601 et seq.), and shall ensure that 
such unique identification number will be used for all purposes under 
such Act (including the public availability of such statements and 
reports) with respect to each statement or report filed by that person 
with the Clerk under such Act.
    (b) Deadline.--The Clerk shall establish and implement the process 
required under subsection (a) not later than 180 days after the date of 
the adoption of this resolution.

SEC. 5. DATABASE OF INFORMATION ON EXPIRATION OF AUTHORIZATIONS OF 
              PROGRAMS.

    (a) Duties of the Clerk.--Clause 2 of rule II of the Rules of the 
House of Representatives is amended by adding at the end the following 
new paragraph:
    ``(l) The Clerk shall--
            ``(1) establish and maintain on its public website an up-
        to-date database of the expiration dates of all Federal 
        programs and the committee of subject matter jurisdiction over 
        each such program;
            ``(2) provide that such database is searchable, sortable, 
        and downloadable; and
            ``(3) post all such information within 30 days after 
        receipt of such information.''.
    (b) Duties of Committees.--Rule X of the Rules of the House of 
Representatives is amended by adding at the end the following new 
clause:
``Duty to provide certain information to the Clerk
    ``12.(a) Except as provided by paragraph (b), each standing 
committee shall provide to the Clerk on an ongoing basis an up-to-date 
list of the expiration dates of all programs within its subject matter 
jurisdiction so the Clerk can post the information required by clause 
2(l) of rule II.
    ``(b) The requirements described in paragraph (a) do not apply to 
the following committees: the Committee on Appropriations, the 
Committee on Ethics, and the Committee on Rules, and the Permanent 
Select Committee on Intelligence.''.
    (c) Effective Date.--The committees referred to in the amendment 
made by subsection (b) to clause 12(a) of rule X of the Rules of the 
House of Representatives shall provide to the Clerk the information so 
required not later than 90 days after the date of adoption of this 
subsection.

SEC. 6. DATABASE OF VOTES TAKEN IN COMMITTEES.

    (a) Duties of the Clerk.--Clause 2 of rule II of the Rules of the 
House of Representatives (as amended by section 5) is further amended 
by adding at the end the following new paragraph:
    ``(m) The Clerk shall--
            ``(1) establish and maintain on its public website a 
        separate database for the 116th and each subsequent Congress of 
        all recorded votes in committees except for the Committee on 
        Ethics or for any votes taken in executive session, and ensure 
        that the database is up-to-date, sortable, and downloadable on 
        a committee-by-committee basis; and
            ``(2) incorporate information on such votes on the database 
        with respect to a committee immediately upon receipt of the 
        relevant information from the committee under clause 13 of rule 
        X.''.
    (b) Duties of Committees.--Rule X of the Rules of the House of 
Representatives (as amended by section 5) is further amended by adding 
at the end the following new clause:
``Duty to provide certain information to the Clerk
    ``13.(a) Each standing and select committee shall provide to the 
Clerk the information respecting recorded votes in that committee so 
the Clerk can post on a timely basis on its website the information 
required by clause 2(l) of rule II. For any recorded vote, such 
information shall be transmitted to the Clerk not later than the 72 
hours after the vote is recorded.
    ``(b) In providing information to the Clerk under paragraph (a), 
the committee shall include a brief description of the matter on which 
the recorded vote was taken, including the name of each member of the 
committee voting on that matter and whether the vote was in the 
affirmative or the negative and the total tally of the votes.
    ``(c) The requirements described in this clause do not apply to the 
Committee on Ethics or to any vote taken in executive session.''.
    (c) Effective Date.--The amendments made by subsections (a) and (b) 
shall apply to votes taken 72 or more hours after the Clerk notifies 
all committees that the database established under clause 2 of rule II 
of the Rules of the House of Representatives has been established.
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