The George W. Bush Presidential Library and Museum is being dedicated today.

Who paid for it? Good question. Presidents can begin private fundraising to establish their presidential libraries long before they even leave office. The donations are unregulated and undisclosed, leaving room for the possibility of buying influence on the sly.

The Center for Responsive Politics has been advocating disclosure of presidential library donors for years. Now there’s a new proposal, the Presidential Library Donation Reform Act (H.R. 1133), that would require fundraising organizations for the libraries to submit quarterly reports detailing donations over a certain threshhold. The National Archives would be required to make the reports public via a searchable, sortable and downloadable database.

Help us keep government accountable by making a donation today.

We’ve joined a coalition led by our friends at the Sunlight Foundation to call for passage of the bill. Today, while attention is high, we strongly encourage you to contact your representative to push this bill forward and take a stand for transparency.

Image of George W. Bush Presidential Library and Museum via http://www.georgewbushlibrary.smu.edu



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