Statement from HHS Chief of Staff Brian Harrison on Promoting Fairness and Transparency in HHS Civil Enforcement Actions

Statement from U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Chief of Staff Brian Harrison on Promoting Fairness and Transparency in HHS Civil Enforcement Actions | site |


(Information contained in U.S. Department of Health and Human Services [HHS] press release: January 13, 2021)

Today, HHS announced through a policy memorandum - PDF* that its operating and staff divisions will review and revise their procedures related to civil enforcement actions and adjudications to ensure that they promote fairness and transparency. Fairness and transparency foster public trust in administrative procedures and functions, and HHS is committed to acting transparently and fairly with respect to all regulated persons, including parties in administrative enforcement and adjudication proceedings. The policy memorandum directs HHS to provide additional specific protections to regulated parties who are the subject of civil enforcement actions. For example, HHS will...

Statement from U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Chief of Staff Brian Harrison on Efforts to Increase Transparency at HHS | site |


(Information contained in U.S. Department of Health and Human Services press release: November 24, 2020)

Today, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) through a Notice published in the Federal Register announced a policy to enhance transparency at HHS by requiring that all assumptions, working papers, models, and other information used as part of any impact analysis associated with a rule or demonstration project are shared at the time the results of that analysis are publicly disclosed. HHS Chief of Staff Brian Harrison issued the following statement:

“We are providing needed transparency by requiring the Department to show its math so the American people can know and challenge the methods government uses to calculate effects of regulations it imposes on them.”

Frequently...

U.S. Education Secretary DeVos Unveils Interactive Online Portal to Provide Transparency on Use of CARES Act Education Funding by States, Grantees | site |


Education Department says portal shows billions of dollars left unspent as many schools across the country remain closed


(Information contained in U.S. Department of Education press release: November 20, 2020)

Washington - - U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos announced today a new online portal that clearly shows if states, local educational agencies (LEAs), and institutions of higher education (IHEs) are using the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act's $31 billion Education Stabilization Fund (ESF) meant to keep learning going for students during the pandemic. The portal captures awards and expenditures reported as of Sept. 30, six months after enactment of the CARES Act. The interactive data map and other informational tools can be found at ...

U.S. Food and Drug Administration COVID-19 Update: FDA’s Ongoing Commitment to Transparency for COVID-19 EUAs | site |



(November 17, 2020) - - Today the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) published the following information:

November 17, 2020

Statement From: Commissioner of Food and Drugs - Food and Drug Administration Stephen M. Hahn M.D. Emergency use authorizations, or EUAs, are an important tool in our country’s fight against COVID-19 and other public health emergencies. While EUAs have received increased attention during the COVID-19 public health emergency, EUAs are not a new tool to the FDA. I want to take a moment to reaffirm FDA’s commitment to transparency around the EUA process and share some updates on our plan to provide more information about FDA’s decisions to issue, revise or revoke EUAs for drugs and biological products, including vaccines. Earlier this year, we launched the COVID-19 Pandemic Recovery and ...

Statement of the G7 Finance Ministers on Debt Transparency and Sustainability| site |



(June 3, 2020) - - Today (June 3, 2020), the U.S. Department of the Treasury published the following information: WASHINGTON – We continue to work together to advance the international economic response to the COVID-19 pandemic, with a focus on the poorest and most vulnerable countries. COVID-19 has exacerbated existing debt vulnerabilities in many low-income countries, highlighting the importance of debt sustainability and transparency to long-term financing for development. We welcome efforts of the international financial institutions (IFIs) to amplify their support for the most vulnerable countries. In this context, we are committed to implementing the Debt Service Suspension Initiative (DSSI) agreed by the G20 and the Paris Club, by suspending official bilateral debt payments for the poorest countries to year-end 2020 and possibly longer, providing those countries fiscal ...

U.S. Food and Drug Administration Provides Promised Transparency for Coronavirus COVID-19 Antibody Tests| site |



(May 21, 2020) - - The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) published today (May 21, 2020) the following information:

Today, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration posted a list of antibody tests that are being removed from the “notification list” of tests being offered under the Policy for Coronavirus Disease-2019 Tests During the Public Health Emergency. Antibody tests on this new removal list include those voluntarily withdrawn from the notification list by the test’s commercial manufacturer and those for which there is not a pending Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) request or issued EUA. FDA expects that the tests on the removal list will not be marketed or distributed. Antibody tests offered by commercial manufacturers as outlined under the policy, which was issued on March 16 and updated on May 4, continue to be located on...

U.S. Department of Labor Announces Final Rule To Increase Financial Transparency for Unions| site |



(March 5, 2020) - - Today, the U.S. Department of Labor published the following information:

WASHINGTON, DC – The U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Labor-Management Standards (OLMS) today announced a final rule to establish the “Form T-1” Trust Annual Report that requires unions to file annual financial reports concerning their trusts. These annual reports will increase the financial transparency of unions and ensure that members have access to information about their union’s financial transactions. The Federal Register will publish the final rule on March 6, 2020.

The final rule requires a labor organization with total annual receipts of $250,000 or more to file a Form T-1, under certain circumstances, for each trust of the type defined by section 3(l) of the Labor-Management Reporting and Disclosure Act (LMRDA). Such labor organizations...

U.S. Department of Labor Announces Proposal to Protect Workers’ Rights by Increasing Financial Transparency and Union Democracy | site |



(December 16, 2019) - - Today (December 16, 2019), the U.S. Department of Labor published the following information:

WASHINGTON DC – The U.S. Department of Labor's Office of Labor-Management Standards (OLMS) will publish a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) that would increase financial transparency and democratic procedures for intermediate bodies under the Labor-Management Reporting and Disclosure Act of 1959 (LMRDA), also known as the Landrum-Griffin Act. The NPRM proposes a return to OLMS' 2003 interpretation that mid-level public sector labor organizations, also known as intermediate bodies, are covered under the LMRDA if the intermediate body's national or international organization is also covered under the LMRDA. Under the proposal, these intermediate bodies also would be subject to provisions such as ann...

U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs improves Health Care Facility Performance Transparency | site |



Move makes it easier for Veterans to compare VA, non-VA health care facilities



(December 11, 2019) - - Today (December 11, 2019), the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs published the following information: WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs (VA) announced Dec. 11, key changes to increase transparency and ensure Veterans have the best information regarding the performance of VA health care facilities. As part of this effort, VA will discontinue its star-rating system, making it easier for Veterans to compare VA facilities with non-VA facilities in their local area. “Star ratings were developed as an internal tool meant to compare one VA facility to another,” said VA Secretary Robert Wilkie. “These ratings do not provide insight as to how our hospitals stack up against nearby non-VA facilities and are therefore...

U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission Proposes Rule Amendments to Improve Accuracy and Transparency of Proxy Voting Advice| site |



(November 5, 2019) - - Today (November 5, 2019), the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) published the following information: Washington D.C., Nov. 5, 2019 — The Securities and Exchange Commission today voted to propose amendments to its rules governing proxy solicitations to enhance the quality of the disclosure about material conflicts of interest that proxy voting advice businesses provide their clients. The proposal would also provide an opportunity for a period of review and feedback through which companies and other soliciting parties would be able to identify errors in the proxy voting advice. The review and feedback period would only be available to companies that file definitive proxy materials 25 days or more in advance of the relevant meeting. The Commission’s proposal aims to enhance the accuracy and transpa...

U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission Proposes Transparency and Financial Accountability Amendments to the CAT NMS Plan| site |



(September 9, 2019) - - Today, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) published the following information: Washington D.C., Sept. 9, 2019 — The Securities and Exchange Commission today voted to propose amendments to the national market system plan governing the Consolidated Audit Trail (the “CAT NMS Plan”). The proposed amendments to the CAT NMS Plan would require self-regulatory organizations that are participants to the CAT NMS Plan (the “Participants”) to file with the Commission and publish a complete implementation plan for the Consolidated Audit Trail (“CAT”) and quarterly progress reports, each of which must be approved by the Operating Committee established by the CAT NMS Plan and submitted to the CEO, President, or equivalently situated senior officer at each Participant. In addition, the propos...

U.S. General Services Administration Launches New Pilot Program Increasing eBuy Transparency

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One Year Pilot Program with Select GSA Contracting Offices to Study Effects on Competition, eBuy Usage


Washington, DC - - (October 17, 2018) - - The U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) has launched a pilot project aimed at improving transparency and increasing competition through the use of GSA’s eBuy, an online Request for Quote (RFQ) system. The eBuy Open GSA First pilot aims to draw more vendors to participate in the federal marketplace by publicly releasing post-award eBuy RFQ information on GSA procurements on FedBizOpps. “Providing more transparency into how the federal government buys products and services will help contractors and our agency customers make more informed decisions when considering GSA contracts,” said GSA Administrator Emily Murphy. “Making t...