# Federal Advisory Committee Transparency Act: What You Need to Know

The federal government relies on thousands of advisory committees to help make decisions on everything from healthcare and environmental policy to trade and national security. These committees bring together experts, industry representatives, and other specialists to give advice to government agencies. The problem is that most Americans have no idea who's on these committees, what they're discussing, or whether they have conflicts of interest. This bill aims to fix that by requiring much more transparency about how these committees operate.

Right now, advisory committee meetings often happen behind closed doors, and the public rarely knows who was appointed to serve or why. This bill would require agencies to publicly disclose detailed information about every advisory committee, including the names of all members, who nominated them, whether they have financial conflicts of interest, and detailed minutes from every meeting. Agencies would have to post this information on their websites at least 15 days before meetings happen, and make recordings or transcripts available within 45 days afterward. The bill also creates a central government website where people can find information about all federal advisory committees in one place.

The bill also tightens rules about who can serve on these committees and how they're selected. Agencies would no longer be allowed to use political affiliation or campaign activity as a factor when choosing committee members. Before appointing someone, agencies must publicly ask for nominations and let the public comment on potential candidates. The bill also requires clearer labeling of committee members—distinguishing between those providing independent expertise versus those representing specific organizations or industries—and makes it harder for agencies to avoid ethics rules by mislabeling members. Additionally, committee chairs generally cannot be government employees, ensuring more independence from the agencies they advise.

For most Americans, this bill means greater visibility into how government decisions get made behind the scenes. If you're concerned about whether a particular industry has too much influence over regulatory decisions, or you want to know who's advising your government, this bill would make that information much easier to find and understand.

Federal Advisory Committee Transparency Act

Maloney, Carolyn B.

Federal Advisory Committee Transparency ActThis bill revises provisions regarding federal advisory committees, including to (1) require designation of committee members as special government employees or representatives, (2) apply the Federal Advisory Committee Act (FACA) to subcommittees and subgroups, and (3) require publication of certain information about advisory committees. The bill requires appointments to advisory committees to be made without regard to political affiliation or campaign activity, unless required by federal statute. Each agency, prior to appointing members to an advisory committee, must solicit nominations for potential committee members. The agency shall solicit nominations at least once every two years. The bill provides statutory authority for the designation of advisory committee members as special government employees (if they are appointed to exercise their individual best judgement) or representatives (if they are appointed to represent a nongovernment entity). Agencies may not designate committee members as representatives to avoid federal ethics rules. Each agency shall make available on its website specified information about each of the agency's advisory committees, including membership, meeting minutes, and notices of future meetings. The General Services Administration must also publish this information. The bill revises requirements for Advisory Committee Management Officers, including to require them to be senior officials with expertise in implementing FACA. The Government Accountability Office shall report on agency compliance with FACA.