Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senators Deb Fischer (R-Neb.), Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), and Mike Crapo (R-Idaho) announced today that they have introduced legislation, the Judgment Fund Transparency Act of 2013 (S.1420), to require a public accounting of the taxpayer funds distributed to litigants who bring successful claims against the Federal government. The Judgment Fund is administered by the Treasury Department and is used to pay certain court judgments and settlements against the Federal government. Throughout the past seven years, Treasury has spent nearly $11 billion in Judgment Fund awards with scant oversight.
The Judgment Fund has come under increased scrutiny, as it is an unlimited amount of money available to pay for government liability; it is not subject to the annual appropriations process. Further, Treasury has no binding reporting requirements, so few public details exist about where the funds are going, and why, and the information that is accessible is only made available at the Administration’s discretion.
The Judgment Fund Transparency Act addresses these concerns by promoting transparency and oversight. Specifically, it requires the Treasury Department to post on a publicly accessible website the claimant, counsel, agency, fact summary, and payment amount for each claim from the Judgment Fund, unless a law or court order otherwise prohibits the disclosure of such information.
Senator Fischer said, “I am pleased to offer this important bill, which has a very straight-forward goal: increasing transparency and oversight of the taxpayer’s money. For far too long, billions of dollars have been awarded in lawsuits by the Federal government, with almost no information available to the public regarding the nature of the lawsuits. The Judgment Fund Transparency Act will provide hardworking taxpayers and Members of Congress the ability to see exactly how their tax dollars are being spent on litigation costs.”
Senator Grassley said, “A little sunshine can go a long way to bringing greater accountability to the Judgment Fund. Since its inception, the fund has seen little by way of transparency, so this legislation will allow Congress and taxpayers to see just where the money is going. More transparency leads to greater accountability, which is something the federal government could use more of.”
Senator Crapo said, “Congress and the American people deserve to know who and for what this money is being used. With our ballooning debt and deficit, we must put further checks and balances in place to prevent waste, fraud and abuse. Due to the recent revelations out of the IRS, it is clear that government programs, like the Judgment Fund, require proper oversight.”
Before the Fund was established, claims against the government were assigned to a Congressional committee responsible for appropriating funds to pay liability, attorneys’ fees, and costs associated with the claim. Once the Fund was established (in 1956), however, Congressional committees ceased appropriating funds explicitly for this purpose. Now, if a government agency does not use its own annual budget to cover the costs, Treasury simply pays the bill out of the Fund – with little, to no accountability.
The Judgment Fund has come under increased scrutiny, as it is an unlimited amount of money available to pay for government liability; it is not subject to the annual appropriations process. Further, Treasury has no binding reporting requirements, so few public details exist about where the funds are going, and why, and the information that is accessible is only made available at the Administration’s discretion.
The Judgment Fund Transparency Act addresses these concerns by promoting transparency and oversight. Specifically, it requires the Treasury Department to post on a publicly accessible website the claimant, counsel, agency, fact summary, and payment amount for each claim from the Judgment Fund, unless a law or court order otherwise prohibits the disclosure of such information.
Senator Fischer said, “I am pleased to offer this important bill, which has a very straight-forward goal: increasing transparency and oversight of the taxpayer’s money. For far too long, billions of dollars have been awarded in lawsuits by the Federal government, with almost no information available to the public regarding the nature of the lawsuits. The Judgment Fund Transparency Act will provide hardworking taxpayers and Members of Congress the ability to see exactly how their tax dollars are being spent on litigation costs.”
Senator Grassley said, “A little sunshine can go a long way to bringing greater accountability to the Judgment Fund. Since its inception, the fund has seen little by way of transparency, so this legislation will allow Congress and taxpayers to see just where the money is going. More transparency leads to greater accountability, which is something the federal government could use more of.”
Senator Crapo said, “Congress and the American people deserve to know who and for what this money is being used. With our ballooning debt and deficit, we must put further checks and balances in place to prevent waste, fraud and abuse. Due to the recent revelations out of the IRS, it is clear that government programs, like the Judgment Fund, require proper oversight.”
Before the Fund was established, claims against the government were assigned to a Congressional committee responsible for appropriating funds to pay liability, attorneys’ fees, and costs associated with the claim. Once the Fund was established (in 1956), however, Congressional committees ceased appropriating funds explicitly for this purpose. Now, if a government agency does not use its own annual budget to cover the costs, Treasury simply pays the bill out of the Fund – with little, to no accountability.
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