Government Transparency and Accountability Act
Objective: To ensure transparency in government operations, particularly in intelligence and federal protective agencies, and to prevent the abuse of power by holding officials accountable for their actions.
Policy Proposal:
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Establish an independent Government Transparency and Accountability Commission (GTAC) to oversee intelligence agencies (CIA, FBI, NSA) and federal departments like CPS/DCF. This commission would be made up of non-partisan members, including representatives from both the public and private sectors, to ensure unbiased oversight.
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GTAC would have the authority to declassify government documents that are over 10 years old, unless a specific case is made for national security concerns.
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Implement a Public Disclosure Requirement for all government agencies involved in covert operations, requiring them to submit annual reports that summarize their activities in broad terms while maintaining necessary operational secrecy.
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Strengthen Whistleblower Protections by creating anonymous and protected channels for government employees to report wrongdoing without fear of retaliation.
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Create a public-access Transparency Portal where citizens can access information about government activities and decisions in real time. All classified materials would have a declassification timeline, ensuring eventual public access.