Coalition Letter to Majority Leader Thune: Make Bipartisan “GOOD Act” a Priority in Final Months of 119th Congress

By SBE Council at 18 September, 2026, 12:00 pm

The Honorable John R. Thune
Majority Leader
United States Senate
511 Dirksen Senate Office Building
Washington, DC 20510

Dear Leader Thune:

We write to urge Senate passage of the Guidance Out of Darkness (GOOD) Act, S. 252 / H.R. 1515 during the final months of the 119th Congress.

As you know, on August 6, the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee passed the bill unanimously, by an official vote of 10-0. This vote was a strong bipartisan endorsement for this regulatory transparency reform plan.

The GOOD Act addresses a fundamental gap in government transparency. The U.S. Code makes statutes publicly available, and the Code of Federal Regulations makes rules accessible. But there is no comparable government-wide inventory for agency guidance documents, policy statements, memoranda, circulars, bulletins, FAQs, and other sub-regulatory methods agencies use to guide policies. Yet these various documents often impose substantial mandates on regulated businesses and citizens, even when officially deemed non-binding.

The GOOD Act requires agencies to publish their guidance documents online, making them available through a single, searchable portal. It would also preserve access to rescinded guidance for archival purposes. Equally as important, the GOOD Act would codify core elements of President Trump's first-term Executive Order 13891, "Promoting the Rule of Law Through Improved Agency Guidance Documents," making sure these reforms outlast the agenda of any particular administration. Regulatory transparency should not be at the discretion of the chief executive of any political party.

We respectfully urge you, as Senate Majority Leader, to build on this strong bipartisan
momentum by making passage of the GOOD Act a priority and bringing S. 252 to the Senate floor. With the House having already acted and the Senate HSGAC Committee having now advanced the legislation with unanimous bipartisan support, we strongly urge the Senate to enact this invaluable transparency measure now, during this narrow window of opportunity.

Sincerely,