Washington, D.C. -Today, Rep. Carolyn B. Maloney, the Chairwoman of the Committee on Oversight and Reform, released a video to kick off the 16th Annual Sunshine Week-a nationwide initiative meant to highlight the importance of government transparency.
“I am excited to kick off Sunshine Week," Chairwoman Maloney said in the video. “This week is dedicated to celebrating transparency and open government, from the federal level to the local level. The public deserves to know about the actions of their government in order to hold the government accountable."
To kick off the week, Chairwoman Maloney will introduce the Presidential Records Preservation Act that would update the Presidential Records Act by requiring the President, Vice President, and other senior White House officials to “make and preserve records" that document the official activities of the President. The Federal Records Act already contains a similar affirmative obligation to “make and preserve" records, so this bill would align the Presidential Records Act with the current law.
The bill also would require the President to establish records management controls to ensure that electronic messages are preserved in a manner that would allow them to be readily searched and retrieved.
“Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation and the Committee’s own oversight revealed that, during the Trump Administration, senior advisors to the President deliberately conducted official business on private accounts to conceal their activities from the public record," Chairwoman Maloney said. “These reforms to the Presidential Records Act will strengthen the current law and improve transparency by requiring the President and the President’s senior advisors to document decisions."
