2Day in #OpenGov 6/21/2011

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

News Roundup:

Government

  • A meeting between President Obama and Wall Street supporters held on White House grounds has caused some to wonder whether the president violated the Hatch Act. (Politico)
  • The Department of Defense Inspector General says that Sen. Charles Grassley’s report card, which found many DoD audits to be unsatisfactory, “does not give credit to many ofthe outstanding efforts and achievements that have been accomplished not only by the auditors in my ofice, but also by the investigators dedicated to combating waste, fraud, and abuse.” (POGO)

Access to Information

  • A recent court case has uncovered more evidence that the FBI has been hiding documents from FOIA requests by storing them in a previously unknown electronic storage medium known as an S-drive. (Boiling Frogs)

Earmarks

  • If a particular budget request was originally considered an earmark and continued year after year, the funding is now considered a program, and can be continued through ‘programatic requests.’ (Washington Post)

State and Local

  • Spending on grassroots lobbying in New York has increased from $2.2 million in 2008 to $18.8 million in 2010, according to a Common Cause report. (Press Connects)

International

  • After over a decade, Nigeria has successfully passed a Freedom of Information Bill, which supersedes the Official Secrets Act and aims to help the public gain access to government information. (All Africa)
  • Creating a lobbyist register in New Brunswick is insufficient to close the revolving door and create true transparency, according to an expert on lobbying law. (CBC News)

Relevant committee hearings scheduled for 6/21:

Senate

  • None.

House

  • The Hatch Act: The Challenge of Separating Politics from Policy. Oversight and Government Reform, Full Committee. 3:00pm. 2154 RHOB.

Relevant bills introduced:

  • None.

Transparency events scheduled for 6/21: