The U.S. House of Representatives unanimously passed the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) Transparency Act on Monday.
The TVA Transparency Act, sponsored by Tennessee U.S. Representatives Tim Burchett (R-TN-02) and Steve Cohen (D-TN-09), seeks to increase transparency and public access to TVA meetings.
Burchett introduced a version of the TVA Transparency Act in every session of Congress since 2019.
We just passed my bill “The TVA Transparency Act.” Let’s keep our meetings open and public. pic.twitter.com/nOsIFiEjaB
— Tim Burchett (@timburchett) June 9, 2025
The TVA Transparency Act of 2025, filed in the 119th Congress as H.R.1373, requires the TVA Board to meet at least four times per year and broadens the definition of what qualifies as a “meeting” under the Government in the Sunshine Act to include all deliberations by the board, its committees, and subcommittees – even those not scheduled to result in formal decisions.
All meetings must be publicly announced at least one week in advance, with exceptions for meetings designated as “emergencies” by the chairman.
The bill also mandates that public announcements of meetings and all materials that are required to be public under the Sunshine Act be posted on the TVA’s website.
Certain information may remain confidential and not be disclosed to the public under the bill, specifically power availability requests, certain contract negotiations, and information that would “imperil or compromise” TVA’s “competitive position.”
Burchett said the bill will “help restore the public’s trust in the Tennessee Valley Authority.”
“For too long, TVA has made major business decisions behind closed doors. I am proud to stand up for transparency at TVA…TVA serves dozens of congressional districts across seven different states. It is time to give residents, businesses, and Congress information on the actions by TVA,” Burchett added.
Earlier this year, the House unanimously passed another bill sponsored by Burchett and Cohen seeking transparency from TVA, specifically regarding executive compensation.
The TVA Salary Transparency Act, filed as H.R.144, would require TVA to annually report to Congress the names, salaries, and job duties of all employees at the management level or above – including all executives and board members – earning more than $123,041 per year or the maximum basic pay rate of a General Schedule Grade 15 (GS-15) federal employee.
The bill would also exempt TVA’s salary report from being eliminated under the Federal Reports Elimination and Sunset Act of 1995.
With the House’s passage of the TVA Act, the bill now heads to the Senate for consideration.
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Kaitlin Housler is a reporter at The Tennessee Star and The Star News Network. Follow Kaitlin on X / Twitter.
Photo “TVA Control Room” by TVA.
THE TVAs Power must be checked & monitored. Their powerd are used by Politicians & Board Members to punish people destroy personal property in retaliation for political purposes.
All meetings should be available to the public throuhh YouTube or other media.
Also regular it should be made public how the Board Members are selected & what are their credentials or conflicts of interest.
Our local,state & Federal elected officials should be invited & attend all Board meetings. There us something rotten going on .
There should be upgrades to protect our Electrical Grid.
Too Nuch Power Corrupts
Good luck on TVA being transparent, truthful, or to conduct itself in any way other than self-interests. Remember the PART BARGE, THE ART COLLECTION, HATRED OF “CARVIN MARVIN”, AND ANY INTENAL TVA BUSIN4ESS BECOMINGT PUBLIC.