From Congress to the smallest town hall, our elected representatives make laws that touch lives and livelihoods, including their own. Common Cause has a long record of success in securing the passage and enforcement of federal, state, and local laws that require representatives to disclose their personal finances and bar them from turning their public service into a personal profit center.
An Independent Watchdog
The voices of thousands of Common Cause activists helped persuade the House of Representatives to create an independent Office of Congressional Ethics (OCE) in 2007 to monitor the conduct of House members and blow the whistle on conflicts of interest. We continue to work to strengthen the OCE, fight for tougher oversight in the Senate, and push for independent ethics watchdogs in state legislatures across the country.
Government in the Sunshine
Common Causers across the country have been instrumental in the passage of Freedom of Information (FOI) laws that allow citizens to bird dog the work of legislatures, city councils and other public bodies. We’ve also helped win passage of legislation like the STOCK Act, which bars legislators from profiting from inside information about businesses they receive through their public service, and lobbying laws that give citizens vital information about who is trying to influence our representatives and how much they’re spending to do it.