WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senators Gary Peters (D-MI), Ranking Member of the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee and Bill Cassidy (R-LA), Chair of the Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee, have reintroduced bipartisan legislation to improve transparency and oversight of federal advisory committees. These committees, more than 1,000 in total, provide expert recommendations to roughly 50 federal agencies, shaping policy in vital areas, including public health, safety, homeland security, and the environment. Despite their critical role in guiding federal decision-making, the availability, and the quality of information about their operations remains inconsistent and incomplete.
“Making reliable information about federal advisory committees available to the public will improve federal transparency, promote better decision-making across federal agencies, and help ensure taxpayer dollars are used effectively,” said Senator Peters.
While the Federal Advisory Committee Act (FACA) of 1972 established a structure for creating and managing advisory bodies, oversight gaps still remain. In 1995, Congress eliminated the requirement for the President to submit an annual report on the operations of these committees. While the General Services Administration (GSA) has voluntarily maintained an online database, without a statutory mandate, information about these committees has been both inconsistent and delayed. This lack of reliability decreases transparency, limits public insight into committees’ recommendations, and weakens Congress’ ability to evaluate whether these committees are functioning optimally.
These oversight gaps are especially significant given hundreds of millions of taxpayer dollars are allocated by Congress each year to cover their operating costs, which often include agency support staff, travel and administrative costs, and public meetings. Without consistent data on their operations, it is difficult to assess whether taxpayer dollars are being used efficiently, if committees are adequately fulfilling their missions, or if outdated committees should be sunset.
The Federal Advisory Committee Database Act directly addresses this challenge by codifying and improving GSA’s data collection practices and requiring timely online publication of critical information—including the committee’s authority, charter, membership, staff support, costs, frequency of meetings, summaries of activities and key recommendations. It also mandates a biennial report to Congress assessing GSA’s reviews of advisory committees and expands the responsibilities of committee management offices to ensure proper oversight, compliance, and performance evaluations.
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