Montana’s Democratic U. S. Senator Jon Tester, recognized as one of the most transparent members of the Senate, is continuing to advocate for public access to government information. Tester was chosen by the American Library Association as the recipient of the 2017 James Madison Award last week. The week was Sunshine Week, an annual event celebrating and advocating transparency and openness in government.
The award recognized Tester for his work to increase information access, bring more transparency to elections and disclose details of secret government contracts. Throughout his time as a senator, Tester has posted his daily schedule online for the public to see and has supported bills to open more access.
“By shedding more light across the federal government and holding officials more accountable, we can eliminate waste and ensure that folks in Washington, D.C. are working more efficiently on behalf of all Americans,” Tester said upon the announcement of the ALA award.
Continuing his dedication to government transparency, Tester has introduced the Public Online Information Act, which would make all public records from the Executive Branch permanently available on the Internet in a searchable database at no cost to constituents.
“All Montanans know we cannot hold folks accountable without sunshine, and in the 21st century we have no excuse not to be as transparent as possible,” Tester said. “We need more sunshine in our government and this legislation will make it easier for Montanans to keep folks honest.”
The introduction is not the first time Tester has attempted to get the bill through Congress. The bill covers all documents generated, updated, or released after the bill’s enactment, and would also establish an independent, bipartisan watchdog to issue guidelines for making public information accessible online. The legislation was praised by open government advocacy group the Sunlight Foundation.
“Sunlight has been a strong supporter of the POIA since 2010, when Rep. Israel and Sen. Jon Tester first introduced this important transparency reform,” said Alex Howard of the Sunshine Foundation. “If enacted, the bill would enshrine into law the simple, transformative principle that in the 21st century, public means online. We hope Congress moves forward with much-needed open government reforms.”
Tester sent a letter to President Trump encouraging him to work together to increase transparency on the Federal Elections Commission. Tester is also sponsoring a plan to get big money out of politics.
