Legislative Accountability and Transparency Act (LATA)

Liberty Election Reform & Political Integrity
1

Policy Proposal: Legislative Accountability and Transparency Act (LATA)

Purpose:
To ensure elected officials in the House of Representatives and Senate maintain transparency, accountability, and direct communication with the public, reflecting their responsibility to serve the people effectively.

Key Provisions:

  1. Mandatory Direct Responses:

During public interviews, hearings, or televised debates, all elected officials must provide clear and direct answers to questions posed by journalists, moderators, or constituents.

Questions requiring a “yes” or “no” must be answered accordingly before offering further explanation.

  1. Accountability Panel:

A bipartisan panel, including citizen representatives, will monitor and review public appearances and responses for compliance.

Officials who repeatedly avoid direct answers will be subject to review.

  1. Performance Review:

If an official fails to provide clear answers during public appearances on three or more occasions within a month, they will face a formal review process.

The process includes a warning for the first offense, mandatory training on communication for the second, and potential removal for repeated offenses.

  1. Transparency Reporting:

A public record of reviewed appearances will be maintained online, showing instances where officials failed to meet communication standards.

  1. Public Petition for Accountability:

Citizens may submit petitions for specific officials to be reviewed if they feel their concerns are not being addressed adequately.

Penalties:

First Offense: Public warning and required explanation of non-compliance.

Second Offense: Mandated communication training session.

Third Offense: A hearing to determine the official’s fitness for office, with potential removal if deemed unfit.

Goal:
This policy aims to eliminate political evasion, build trust in government, and ensure that taxpayer money is spent on competent and accountable leadership rather than theatrical distractions.

3 Likes
2

I read through the entire proposal and it reads like it was written by a fox, listing accountability and punishment for foxes who violate the hen house.

Why in the world would we want a “bipatrisan” panel for ANYTHING these days? We know that game. It aint effective and is merely a potemkin body pretending to get something done, when these politicians are oftentimes working together in private, stopping progress. and avoiding accountability. The penalties listed sound like they are meant for minors in a school who break rules. They are both ridiculous in my opinion and dont have teeth. The process to get accountability started is in itself not transparent – to get it started, citizens need to submit a petition? And how many would hit the trash can in some back office, never to see the light of day? For Penalties, we see a three-strike allowance, and even AFTER that “a hearing” is created to determine the person’s fitness for office. Who calls for this "hearing? – that bipartisen panel who will be eternally split on a 5-4 decision dismissing the person after he/she slides five bucks under the table to them?

I like your Goal and attempt, but the meat of this proposal sounds a lot like just another flavor of “business as usual in the DC swamp”. No offense…I just think we need a more radical outside approach, which might put the fear of God in politicians who insist on being unaccountable and untransparent. The entire framework and process of our current legislatve process needs to be torn down and rebuilt with accountability and transparency built-into every facet of the process, allowing for no wiggle room or ability to hide from the American People. It should be a GLASS HOUSE ON A HILL, with complete digital tracking and monitoring of every aspect of the process. Perhaps when bills become laws, they should move through a digital network that tracks everything about the process. We dont need a bipartisan panel…perhaps we need a LEAN AND MEAN ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE network keeping these criminal politicians in line – a digital system that exposes corruption to an outside non-governmental watchdog group whose sole existence is to find corrupt political practices and report them to the American People. Maybe that might provide some much-needed “teeth” to the legislative accountability and transparency problem that The People currently have with their representitives? Hope that helps.

1 Like
3

I truly appreciate your perspective, and I understand your concern about the proposal sounding like “business as usual” in the DC swamp. That’s certainly not the intention, and I agree we need a more radical, outside-the-box approach to truly hold politicians accountable. All your bullet points were amazing.

1 Like