James Madison Award

About the James Madison Award The award named for President James Madison was established in 1989 and is presented annually on the anniversary of his birth to honor individuals or groups who have championed, protected and promoted public access to government information and the public’s right to know at the national level.View a list of previous recipients here.

Administered by:

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2017 Winner(s)

Jon Tester

ALA presented U.S. Senator Jon Tester of Montana with the 2017 James Madison Award for his advocacy for public access to government information. Upon accepting the award, Senator Tester gave a short speech. “It is a true honor to receive this award. Throughout my time in the U.S. Senate, I have made it a priority to bring more transparency and accountability to Washington. By shedding more light across the federal government and holding officials more accountable, we can eliminate waste and ensure that folks in Washington, D.C. are working more efficiently on behalf of all Americans.” At the ceremony, Senator Tester affirmed his longstanding commitment to increasing public access to information by formally announcing the launch of the Senate Transparency Caucus, which aims to shed more light on federal agencies and hold the federal government more accountable to taxpayers.