Sen. Coburn Wants You to Examine His Records UPDATED

Last night, as expected, the Senate passed [1] the $3.1 billion FY 2010 Legislative Branch appropriations bill by a vote of 67-25. Final passage of the bill included Sen. Coburn's amendment requiring all senators to disclose their yearly expenditures in a publicly searchable online format. The Senate approved [2] the amendment by voice vote.

As members of Congress trickle back from the July Fourth recess, senators will continue debating the FY 2010 Legislative Branch spending bill. Sen. Tom Coburn (R-OK) has offered an amendment to the bill that would require senators to disclose their official expenditures online in a publicly searchable format. Members of the House are already required to post their expenses online.

The online reports would include expenses such as salaries for staff, travel and office operations. According to a report [3] from Congress Daily (subscription required), the records are already computerized, but, according to Sen. Coburn, his amendment would "make [them] available so everybody in the country can see [them]." The amendment could come up for a vote this afternoon and voting on the bill could take place as early as this evening.