The US Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs held a hearing on July 18th: Show Me the Money: Improving the Transparency of Federal Spending. The purpose of this hearing was to hear from Sen. Mark Warner (D-VA; lead sponsor on the Senate version of the DATA Act); Eugene Dodaro (Comptroller General of the United States); Daniel Werfel (Controller, Office of Management and Budget); Richard Gregg (Fiscal Assistant Secretary US Treasury) on their impressions of the DATA Act in response to the recent passage of the House version of the bill and concerns that have been voiced by various Governors and others.
Opinions varied regarding the necessity for additional legislation in the form of the DATA Act in general and on specifics within that bill. Sen Warner indicated that his “opinion has evolved over the past year” regarding the need for a new government entity – the Government Accountability and Transparency Board – and he plans to re-introduce the legislation to reflect his updated priorities and thinking in the Senate.
According to the Data Transparency Coalition, Sen Tom Coburn (R-OK) indicated that he would work with Sen Warner to update the Senate bill working toward its eventual passage.
