Political Quotes

“Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. I rise in strong support of H.R. 2919, the Open Book on Equal Access to Justice Act, also known as the Longworth 1004 Act. This bipartisan legislation makes a modest, but important improvement to the Equal Access to Justice Act, also known as EAJA. That Act, which was enacted in 1980, allows parties, under certain circumstances, to be awarded attorneys' fees and court costs when they prevail in litigation against the United States. EAJA enables ordinary citizens, such as veterans, senior citizens, and advocates for clean air and clean water, to fight unfair or illegal government actions without fear of the court costs involved. Over the years, the Act has succeeded, but since 1995, when certain reporting requirements were eliminated, we have had no reliable data on how much money the government has awarded in these proceedings. The public has a right to know how taxpayer funds are used, and Congress ought to be able to assess the impact and effectiveness of EAJA. {time} 1800 To address this failing, H.R. 2919 would require the Administrative Conference of the United States, or ACUS, a highly respected nonpartisan agency, to prepare an annual report for Congress on the fees and costs awarded in these cases. The reports would also include the number and nature of the claims involved.…”