Today Congressman Seth Moulton, D-Mass, and I introduced the Statutes at Large Modernization Act, which will allow ordinary Americans to access and search the entire legal history of the United States online.
This simple step will enable citizens to have better knowledge of the laws that affect their daily lives.
Groups that work to improve government transparency and accountability, like the Sunlight Foundation, R Street Institute, Demand Progress, Liberty Coalition, Data Transparency Coalition, OpentheBooks.com, Niskanen Center, and OpenGov Foundation, have all endorsed this bill for that very reason.
A searchable legal database is also a valuable tool because it allows us a peek back at the laws that governed earlier generations of Americans.
I introduced this bill because I believe that the ability to access and search U.S. law contributes to a well-informed populace, which is vital for a democracy to function well.
