Latest transparency effort: All federal grants online

Two powerful Republican House members - Majority Whip Roy Blunt (R-Mo.) and Government Reform Committee Chairman Tom Davis (R-Va.) - want to track all federal grants online, Federal Computer Week reports. Their bill, H.R. 5060, would require OMB and GSA to make basic grant information available "in an easily searchable form" within 30 days of the grant award.

Since the federal government makes about $300 billion worth of grants each year to 30,000 organizations, that’s a huge step towards sunshine. 

“This legislation will make it easier for all Americans to understand where their hard-earned tax dollars are being spent,” Davis said. “Information is power, and we should always be looking to harness technology to improve information sharing, both within government and among government and its citizens.”