- Targeted stakeholdersIncreases congressional oversight by requiring a detailed report of high‑paid TVA managers to Congress.
- Targeted stakeholdersPreserves required TVA reports from automatic elimination, ensuring ongoing legislative review.
- Targeted stakeholdersClarifies GAO/Comptroller General audit and access provisions, potentially improving audit effectiveness and controls.
Tennessee Valley Authority Salary Transparency Act
Read twice and referred to the Committee on Environment and Public Works.
This bill amends the Tennessee Valley Authority Act of 1933 to require the TVA Board to prepare a report listing management-level employees (including name, salary, and duties) who earn at or above the maximum GS-15 rate.
The bill also makes salary information in that report exempt from disclosure under FOIA section 552(b)(3) and from the Access to Congressionally Mandated Reports Act.
Several conforming and terminology updates are made to statutory references to the Comptroller General and Government Accountability Office.
Low fiscal burden and narrow scope help prospects, but public‑disclosure exemption raises transparency objections that reduce momentum.
Relative to its intended legislative type, this bill is a focused statutory amendment that concretely modifies TVA reporting requirements and integrates with existing law through targeted edits; it provides clear textual mechanics while omitting implementation, fiscal, and detailed accountability elements.
Progressives emphasize public transparency; conservatives emphasize privacy and controlled access.
Who stands to gain, and who may push back.
- Targeted stakeholdersExempts reported salary data from FOIA and report‑access law, reducing public transparency and media scrutiny.
- Targeted stakeholdersMandating named salary and duty lists raises employee privacy and potential security concerns.
- Targeted stakeholdersPreparing and maintaining detailed reports will impose administrative costs on TVA operations.
Why the argument around this bill splits.
Progressives emphasize public transparency; conservatives emphasize privacy and controlled access.
Progressives would welcome stronger reporting on executive pay at a public corporation, because it can reveal excessive compensation and inequality.
They would be strongly concerned that the bill expressly exempts salary information from FOIA and public-access requirements, which undermines transparency and accountability.
A moderate view would see value in formal reporting of senior TVA pay to improve oversight but would note a tension between required reporting and the bill's exemptions from public disclosure.
They would seek clarification about who may access the reports and why public access is restricted.
Mainstream conservatives interested in oversight would like more information about TVA executive compensation, while also valuing employee privacy and limiting unnecessary public disclosure.
They may view controlled reporting to Congress with exemptions from broad public-access rules as reasonable balance.
The path through Congress.
Reached or meaningfully advanced
Reached or meaningfully advanced
Still ahead
Still ahead
Still ahead
Low fiscal burden and narrow scope help prospects, but public‑disclosure exemption raises transparency objections that reduce momentum.
- Whether the report is intended for Congress only or public filing
- No cost estimate or administrative burden analysis provided
Recent votes on the bill.
No vote history yet
The bill has not accumulated any surfaced votes yet.
Go deeper than the headline read.
Progressives emphasize public transparency; conservatives emphasize privacy and controlled access.
Low fiscal burden and narrow scope help prospects, but public‑disclosure exemption raises transparency objections that reduce momentum.
Relative to its intended legislative type, this bill is a focused statutory amendment that concretely modifies TVA reporting requirements and integrates with existing law through targeted edits; it provides clear textua…
Go beyond the headline summary with full stakeholder mapping, legislative design analysis, passage barriers, and lens-by-lens tradeoff breakdowns.