ImpactLine initiative · Citizen proposal · Version 1
The Receipts & Transparency Act
Stop chasing the money only after something goes wrong. Build a public record of where covered spending goes, what was delivered, and which checks happened before payment.
An ImpactLine policy proposal. No bill number or enacted-law status is claimed.
What the record can’t always tell you
Public budgets, award databases and audits already reveal a great deal. But a spending total alone does not establish the final recipient, confirm delivery or show that every payment check was performed. Gaps weaken scrutiny and can leave room for fraud and abuse. That is the problem this proposal aims to address.
GAO’s March 2026 transparency testimony identifies incomplete or inaccurate subaward data and inconsistent reporting of other transaction agreements. These are documented coverage problems. Read GAO’s findings ↗
GAO reported about $186 billion in estimated improper payments for FY2025, covering 64 programs at 15 agencies. The estimate omits some susceptible programs. Improper payments include errors and are not a measure of proven fraud. Read the payment-integrity report ↗
USAspending’s documentation describes separate financial and award systems, reporting boundaries and subaward limitations. Checking delivery still requires matching the correct award to acceptance and performance records. Read USAspending’s documentation ↗
These federal findings establish specific reporting limits. They do not show that every state or city has the same gap, or that a missing record proves fraud. State and local adoption would require their own legislation or reporting rules.
The proposed standard
Require a joined-up record for covered contracts, grants and program spending, with checks before disbursement and evidence after delivery. The aim is to reduce preventable fraud and abuse, while preserving legitimate services and protecting people’s private information.
Use stable identifiers to connect the legal authority, award, final organizational recipient, payment, contract changes and delivery evidence. Publish downloadable records and an accessible public view.
For covered contracts and grants, document recipient identity, eligibility, available authority, duplicate-payment checks and required approvals before release. Record exceptions and escalate risk flags for human review.
Tie milestone payments to dated acceptance records and the responsible approving official. Record what was delivered, what remains outstanding and why an advance payment is justified when one is needed.
Propose publication within 30 days of a covered award, payment or milestone, with machine-readable updates, a correction history and clear flags for late or missing records. Phased implementation and documented emergency exceptions would be required.
Give inspectors general and auditors access to underlying evidence, require public reporting on unresolved gaps and corrective actions, and protect lawful whistleblowing. A risk flag triggers review; it does not establish guilt.
Protect personal benefit recipients, bank details, health information and lawfully sensitive records. Publish the reason and legal basis for withholding information, with independent review and a way to challenge improper secrecy.
An existing foundation is the Open Contracting Data Standard, which connects procurement stages through a common identifier. This proposal calls for extending that principle to the payment checks and delivery evidence people need.
You are supporting this published standard and the effort to develop it into model legislative language. Signing does not file a bill, enroll you in a political campaign, or send your details to officials. Any future public submission would use aggregate support; personal details would require separate permission.
Public reporting needs to be paired with enforcement, reliable data and human review. No reporting system can guarantee that fraud disappears. Better receipts make prevention and accountability easier to test.
Proposal and sources reviewed October 9, 2026. ImpactLine methodology · Try the delivery-evidence worksheet
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