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Goodlatte, Collins and Cohen Praise House Passage of Bipartisan Bill to Increase Transparency of Federal Government’s Egregious Actions

November 30, 2015
Washington, D.C.— The House of Representatives today passed by voice vote the Open Book on Equal Access to Justice Act (H.R. 3279), a bipartisan bill authored by Rep. Doug Collins (R-Ga.) and Constitution and Civil Justice Subcommittee Ranking Member Steve Cohen (D-Tenn.). The bill reinstates tracking and reporting requirements of payments made by the federal government under the Equal Access to Justice Act (EAJA) in order to increase transparency and inform Congress of the impact and effectiveness of the law. The Administrative Conference of the United States (ACUS), tasked with compiling this data under the bill, is required to submit an annual report to Congress and establish an online searchable database that will allow the public access to how much has been paid pursuant to EAJA, from which agencies, and to whom taxpayer dollars are being paid. Congress initially passed the EAJA in 1980 as a means to help individuals, retirees, veterans, and small businesses recover attorneys’ fees and costs associated with litigation with the federal government when the government’s actions are egregious. Although Congress included a requirement that agencies and the Department of Justice issue annual reports on the amount of money paid out under the law, Congress ended those tracking and reporting requirements in 1995. The Open Book on Equal Access to Justice Act would reinstitute those reporting requirements. The Open Book on Equal Access to Justice Act was approved by the House Judiciary Committee in October by voice vote, and was passed during the 113thCongress by voice vote. House Judiciary Committee Chairman Bob Goodlatte (R-Va.), Rep. Collins (R-Ga.), and Rep. Cohen (D-Tenn.) issued the following statement praising the House passage of the bill: “Our government works best when its activities are transparent and easily available to the American people as well as their elected representatives. For too long there has been a lack of reporting and record keeping on the use of the Equal Access to Justice Act (EAJA), which makes it difficult for Congress to assess the impact of the law. Requiring agencies to keep track of the true costs of attorneys’ fees will help Congress determine if EAJA is working well, and what Congress can do to improve the law in the future. We thank our colleagues in the House for supporting this legislation, and with the overwhelming support of this bill in the House—as demonstrated by today’s vote—we look forward to the Senate taking up this important and bipartisan bill.”