2Day in #OpenGov 3/22/2012

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Policy Fellow Matt Rumsey wrote this post.

Here is Thursday’s look at transparency-related news items, congressional committee hearings, transparency-related bills introduced in Congress, and transparency-related events.

News Roundup:

Campaign Finance

  • 100 companies have signed on to the Center for Political Accountability’s corporate governance standard. The companies, including Halliburton, Safeway, Aflac and more, have pledged to disclose their political spending. (The Hill)
  • A new super PAC, focused on mobilizing black and Hispanic voters in support of Democratic candidates, launched with Center for American Progress founder John Podesta lending high profile support. (Roll Call)

Government

  • Federal officials defended their FOIA programs in front of a House Oversight and Government Reform Subcommittee hearing, a week after the committee released a report criticizing many agencies’ FOIA efforts. (National Journal)
  • A new study on Twitter use by members of Congress indicates that Republicans are more engaged, share better content, and mention more specific bills than their Democratic counterparts. (Gov Fresh)
International
  • The Open Knowledge Foundation is working to identify promising projects using technology to focus on fiscal transparency around the world. (Open Knowledge Foundation)
  • TuDerechoaSaber.es (“Your right to know”) aims to help citizens in Spain make and track information requests from public bodies. Spain is the largest EU country that still lacks a formal access to information law. (Access-Info)
  • The UK government set up a Data Strategy Board to guide government data releases. The independent group is tasked with collaborating with government organizations to determine what data releases might lead to economic growth. (Tech President)

Relevant committee hearings scheduled for 3/22:

  • None.

Relevant bills introduced:

  • None.
Transparency events scheduled for 3/22:

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