Last week, President Obama signed the Stop Trading on Congressional Knowledge Act, or STOCK Act — a historic piece of open government legislation. OMB Watch staff were there to see it happen and were pleased to witness an important transparency policy becoming law. In moments like this, we realize that our hard work and dedication are paying off!

The STOCK Act requires proactive online disclosure of public officials’ financial dealings. This should help prevent questionable ethical activities by public officials and the staff that serve them and the public.

But passing a law is just the first half of the job; now we need to ensure it is implemented!

Please write to President Obama and your members of Congress. Thank them for enacting this important law and tell them to move quickly to make the STOCK Act work for the American people.

We’re pleased that Congress made it a priority to pass this historic legislation. Now, to ensure real accountability, they need to get the information posted.

The STOCK Act will only improve accountability if Congress and the administration create a website that allows the public to quickly find the information in a format that is easy to understand. We all know that some government websites are much better than others at serving the public. Our officials need to get this one right.

Please write to Congress and the president and remind them that the work on the STOCK Act is not finished. Now we need a user-friendly website with quality search tools and data that can be downloaded and shared.

President Obama signs the STOCK Act, while OMB Watch president Katherine McFate and others watch (April 4, 2012). Photo by Sofia Plagakis, OMB Watch