Mike Collins: “I thank the gentleman from Ohio. Madam Speaker, I am proud to rise in support of the Open Book on Equal Access to…”

“I thank the gentleman from Ohio. Madam Speaker, I am proud to rise in support of the Open Book on Equal Access to Justice Act, and I thank the gentlelady from Wyoming and the gentleman from Tennessee, my friend on the Judiciary Committee, for their hard work on this. Also, Mr. Chabot. There are a lot of times we get to disagree on things, but this is one we can come together and agree on. And that is a good thing for not only our committee, it is good for the American people. The Equal Access to Justice Act supports one of our Nation's founding principles--equal justice under the law--by making our legal system more accessible for all Americans. Today's bipartisan legislation simply ensures that Equal Access to Justice programs observe commonsense reporting and transparency requirements. This good government bill will ensure proper oversight of this program by providing both Congress and the public the data they need to make informed decisions. The original Equal Access to Justice Act rightfully included tracking and reporting requirements concerning payments made under the authority of this law. Taxpayers should not be on the hook for untold amounts of attorneys' fees for special interest groups that sue the Federal Government to change policy without public input. My constituents simply don't believe their hard-earned money should go to groups that push their agenda through litigation instead of the regular legislative process.…”