Professor Shapiro Testifies Before US House Subcommittee
April 3, 2008
Professor Sid Shapiro testified on Wednesday, April 2, before a subcommittee of the Committee on Oversight of the United States House of Representatives. The committee hearing was on a proposed legislation to amend the Federal Advisory Committee Act (FACA), which controls the use of federal advisory committees by administrative agencies. Professor Shapiro testified that because of adverse court rulings, agencies can take advantage of several loopholes to avoid FACA. Shapiro urged Congress to close these loopholes in order to establish greater transparency and accountability in the advisory committee process. He also testified in favor of web-based publication by agencies of information about advisory committees and improvements in the screening process to prevent the participation on committee by persons with financial or other conflicts of interest. Representatives from the General Accounting Office, the General Services Administration, and the Department of Defense testified with Professor Shapiro. The subcommittee is chaired by Representative Wm. Lacy Clay, who presided at the hearing.
