Contact Congress about H.R. 3642: Executive Branch Accountability and Transparency Act
People could search one free website for many ethics records tied to senior noncareer executive branch officials. Agencies would have to send current records and look back for records from the past nine years.
Modern Action explains legislation in plain English, helps you choose whether to support, oppose, or ask for changes, and drafts a message tied to the bill, your stance, and the elected officials who can act on it.
Executive Branch Accountability and Transparency Act is a House bill in Congress.
Who this affects: This bill mainly affects senior noncareer executive branch officials, federal agencies, and the Office of Government Ethics. Covered officials would have more ethics records posted in one easy-to-find place. Agencies would have to gather, format, and send those records. Reporters, watchdog groups, and members of the public could search the records more easily.
Why this matters: Today, ethics records for senior officials can be hard to find because agencies often keep them separately. This bill would put many of those records in one public online place. That could make it easier to check conflicts of interest, waivers, gifts, recusals, and post-government work plans. It could also raise costs, privacy concerns, and technical challenges for agencies.
Key provisions in H.R. 3642
- The Office of Government Ethics would have to build one free public website for covered ethics records. The site would cover certain noncareer and senior executive branch employees.
- The database would have to go online within 210 days after the bill becomes law. It must work through an API and meet federal disability and web access rules, including Section 508 and current Web Content Accessibility Guidelines.
- Agencies would have to send records in electronic files that computers can read. They must send records within 60 days after the bill becomes law, or within 60 days after they receive or create each new record, using methods set by the Office of Government Ethics.
- Each agency would pay its own costs to prepare and upload records. The Office of Government Ethics could also charge agencies part of the database cost, but total charges cannot be more than actual costs, and personnel charges are capped at one full-time staff equivalent.
- The database would include many ethics records. These include public financial disclosure reports and updates, conflict-of-interest and post-employment waivers, approvals to work on matters despite possible conflicts, gift approvals, orders to sell financial interests, ethics agreements, recusals, screening plans, ethics training proof, certificates of divestiture and related requests, qualified blind trust papers, certain ethics notices and certifications, and other categories chosen by the Office of Government Ethics Director.
How Modern Action helps you take action on H.R. 3642
You do not have to start with a blank letter. Modern Action turns the bill, your position, and the relevant congressional context into a message you can edit and send. The goal is to make contacting Congress clear, specific, and useful without forcing you to parse bill text or figure out the right office on your own.
Questions people ask about H.R. 3642
- What is H.R. 3642?
- People could search one free website for many ethics records tied to senior noncareer executive branch officials. Agencies would have to send current records and look back for records from the past nine years.
- How do I support or oppose H.R. 3642?
- Choose support, oppose, or ask for changes on Modern Action. The action flow drafts the message for you and keeps the wording tied to this bill.
- Who should I contact about H.R. 3642?
- Modern Action uses your location to route the action to the congressional offices relevant to the bill and your representation.
- Can Modern Action explain H.R. 3642 before I act?
- Yes. Modern Action gives you a plain-English summary, current status, and action context before you send anything.
