Legislative Accountability Act

This legislation would make it easier to see which lawmakers added changes to bills. It requires Congress to publicly name the member behind any amendment that gets adopted, and to show those names as footnotes in official versions of the bill. Chairs of committees must submit these names within three legislative days after a bill is reported, and similar naming happens after a bill passes either chamber for any adopted floor amendments. For spending, tax, and finance bills, the committee chair must also list each member responsible for any specific provision included in the bill. Those names must appear as footnotes in all official copies, so readers can tell who added what.

• Who is affected: Committee chairs in the House and Senate; the Clerks, the Secretary of the Senate, and the Government Publishing Office; and the public who read bills .
• What changes: Names of members behind adopted amendments must be submitted and shown; for spending, tax, and finance bills, names of members behind included provisions must also be shown as footnotes in official bill texts .
• When: Within three legislative days after a committee reports a bill, and within three legislative days after either chamber passes a bill for adopted floor amendments.