On Thursday, June 4, legislators in both chambers of Congress introduced legislation aimed at increasing transparency of the Executive Branch’s senior leaders. The legislation, the Periodically Listing Updates to Management (PLUM) Act of 2020, was introduced in the House by House Oversight and Reform Chairwoman Carolyn Maloney (D-NY), Subcommittee on Government Operations Chairman Gerry Connolly (D-VA), and Rep. John Sarbanes (D-MD). Senator Tom Carper (D-DE) introduced the Senate version.

In a press release legislators wrote, “Currently, a comprehensive list of positions appointed by the President is available only once every four years in a publication referred to as the Plum Book.  The PLUM Act would modernize the Plum Book by requiring the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) to establish and maintain a current, publicly available directory of senior government leaders online.”

The legislation would:

• Modernize the current practice of publishing the “Plum Book” every four years

• Enhance transparency into who is setting policy and making key decisions

• Improve the frequency, accuracy and accessibility of data on government leaders

FMA joined 18 other organizations in a letter of support for the bill. The letter said, in part, “The continuously-updated repository of information about political appointees required under the PLUM Act would facilitate independent review and analysis related to political appointees. It would make it possible to understand which offices are filled and which offices have vacancies, how long those offices have been vacant, and how that information has changed over time. Publication may increase visibility for these job opportunities and encourage a wider pool of diverse candidates to pursue these positions.”