Collins Introduces Open Book on EAJA Act

9th District U.S. Representative Doug Collins is introducing legislation he said will require more accountability from federal agencies.

Collins and Democratic Representative Steve Cohen from Tennessee have introduced H.R. 1933, the Open Book on Equal Access to Justice Act.

The EAJA requires federal agencies to reimburse plaintiffs for legal fees incurred through suits in which the agency pursued an unjustified position.

It is designed to bring relief to veterans, retirees, small businesses, and other individuals whose limited resources would prevent them from seeking redress against the government.

However, Collins said that since 1995, federal agencies have not been required to keep records of EAJA reimbursements or the legal justifications behind them, meaning that the public has no access to how much agencies are paying out and whether the payments are justified.
The bill introduced by Collins would require the Administrative Conference of the United States to maintain an online database that makes EAJA data from every federal agency available to the public and to Congress, which has oversight over government spending.

Collins said that people should have recourse to challenge the federal government when it errs and taxpayers should likewise have access to information about how executive agencies are handling such cases.

He went on to say this act would ensure the original law operates effectively and with transparency.

A companion bill was introduced in the Senate.