Congressman Mike Quigley and two other lawmakers push for transparency in US government's spending of taxpayer money.

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) — The US Congress should reveal its members’ personal finances, office expenses as well as gift and travel reports, Congressman Mike Quigley said in a release on his website.

“The TGA [Transparency in Government Act] increases disclosures of Members’ of Congress personal finances, office expenses, gift reports and foreign travel, and improves public access to information by publishing reports online,” the release, published on Monday, said.

The bill aims at increasing transparency of every branch of the federal government, and would give the public a greater access to information on lobbying, Supreme Court proceedings and other government records.

“TGA would modernize public access to information by utilizing 21st century technology, strengthening oversight of federal spending, increasing financial disclosures of both lawmakers and lobbyists, and improving judicial transparency,” the release explained.

Quigley is one of three lawmakers who continue pushing for more transparency in government by reintroducing the TGA.

The TGA was introduced in the Congress three times in the past.

US Congresswoman Jackie Speier, who co-sponsored the bill, stressed that the only sure guarantee of responsible government is transparency.

“Every citizen should be able to easily find out how their elected officials are spending taxpayer money, what they are saying about legislation behind closed doors and who they are taking gifts from,” Speier said. “Elected officials have no good excuse for keeping this information secret.”

Quigley and Speier were joined in their efforts to reintroduce the TGA by US Congresswoman Kyrsten Sinema.