United States of America

House of RepresentativesSenate

House of Representatives

Openness and transparency

Information about access to parliamentary documents, parliament’s reporting to the public, parliament’s relation to Freedom of Information laws, and lobbying.

Parliamentary documents

The agendas of plenary meetings are published online in advance The agendas of plenary meetings are published online in advance.
The agendas of committee meetings are published online in advance The agendas of committee meetings are published online in advance.
Results of votes on draft legislation are published on the parliamentary web site Results of votes on draft legislation are published on the parliamentary web site.
Draft legislation is published on the parliamentary website Draft legislation is published on the parliamentary website.
Citizens can submit comments on draft legislation on the parliamentary web site

Annual reporting by parliament

Parliament publishes an annual report on its activities
The annual report is available on the parliamentary web site
No
Parliament publishes the parliamentary budget
Level of detail of the parliamentary budget made available to the public Level of detail of the parliamentary budget made available to the public: Only the total amount; A summary of the main elements; The complete budget
A summary of the main elements
The parliamentary budget is available on the parliamentary web site
Yes

Access to parliament

Notes
The House may meet in closed session to discuss sensitive foreign policy topics. However, this has happened only 6 times since 1825.
Notes
Committees may hold closed sessions to discuss sensitive/confidential information (usually related to national security).
There is a dedicated channel for broadcasting parliamentary meetings A dedicated channel is one that is mainly about parliament, and is accessible free of charge to the general public. The channel might be owned by Parliament or a public or private company. Dedicated channels may be broadcast by parliament, government, or another broadcaster. They may be carried on television, radio or the Internet (webcasting).
Media used for the dedicated channel
TV
Radio
Webcast
Meetings broadcast on the dedicated channel
Plenary sittings
Committee meetings

Freedom of information

There is a freedom of information law in the country
Yes
Parliament is subject to the freedom of information law
Parliament has an office/division dedicated to FOI requests
No
Categories of Information that are exempt from disclosure Certain categories of information may be exempt from disclosure
The Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) first came into force in 1967with subsequent amendments and Executive Orders both limiting and
expanding exemptions overtime. Federal agencies are required to disclose any information requested under the FOIA unless it falls under one of nine exemptions which protect interests such as personal privacy, national security, and law enforcement.

The Congress is not subject to the Freedom of Information Act.
https://www.congress.gov/114/bills/s337/BILLS-114s337enr.xml (Freedom of Information Improvement Act, 2016)
https://www.foia.gov/faq.html

Lobbying

There are rules about the activities of lobbyists in parliament
There is a register of accredited lobbyists
The register of accredited lobbyists is available on the parliamentary web site
Yes