House lobbying bill might force federal grants disclosure

The House has given a new lease on life to a failed bid by Sens. Tom Coburn, R-Okla., and Barack Obama, D-Ill., to attach to the Senate lobbying bill a provision establishing a public database of all institutions receiving federal funds.

A similar proposal has high-powered backing in the House, where it is co-sponsored by Majority Whip Roy Blunt, R-Mo., and Government Reform Chairman Tom Davis, R-Va. It could be attached to the House lobbying bill now working its way to the floor.

The Blunt-Davis bill, introduced Thursday, would require the Office of Management and Budget to create a Web site containing 10 years' worth of information on all organizations, universities, corporations, individuals, associations or other entities that receive federal funds, and the amount. Within a month of a grant being made, OMB would be required to make the information publicly available in an easily searchable Web site.

In conjunction with the General Services Administration and other agencies, the database would require information on the names of grantees or sub-grantees receiving an award; an itemized breakdown of assistance by agency and program; and the dates and amounts of each grant.

According to GSA, the federal government gives out $300 billion in grants to some 30,000 organizations every year, Blunt's staff said. "This transparency is a vital tool to ensure that Congress and the American public have the information they need to conduct oversight of the use of our tax dollars," a spokeswoman said.

The Senate lobbying bill passed 90-8, with Coburn and Obama among those opposed.

Their amendment was ruled out of order because cloture had been invoked and nongermane amendments excluded.

A Coburn spokesman had a different interpretation. "The reason is the amendment would have cast too much sunshine on a process too many senators prefer to keep secret," he said.