NEWS ROUNDUP:

Campaign Finance

• DISCLOSE fails to pass: In a vote split by party, the Senate voted 51-44 in support of the DISCLOSE Act, not gaining the supermajority necessary to overcome the potential filibuster. The bill was not expected to pass. (Politico)
• Feature: Change aided—not caused—by Citizens United: Despite the brouhaha that has followed the Supreme Court’s Citizens United decision in 2010, the author claimed that the ruling only exacerbated the move to outside control of elections caused by McCain-Feingold. (New York Times)

Federal Government

• Regarding transparency, Obama delivers on data but not much else: Although much can be said about sites like USAspending.gov and recovery.gov that allow the public to view and interpret government spending, the secrecy of the White House’s day-to-day actions and meetings unfortunately run counter to the President’s support of a “culture of open government.” (Politifact)
• Government creates hub for agencies to solve digital problems: The General Services Administration is leading the effort to create a centralized mechanism for requesting advice and solving problems related to technology in government across numerous federal agencies. (Government Executive)
• GSA chief: More analysis better than more data: Daniel Tangherlini, the chief of the General Services Administration, stated that the quality beats quantity when it comes to releasing government data—the focus should be on releasing this data in a usable and legible format. (Federal Computer Weekly)

Outside the Beltway

• FCPA investigation runs into Chinese data privacy laws: Investigations under the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act are frequently burdened by the strong—some say overly so—privacy laws regarding data. These investigations are used to look at companies possibly engaging in bribery overseas. (TrustLaw)
• Cuomo’s emails in dark despite commitment to transparency: In contrast to his usual propensity and support for transparency measures, New York governor Andrew Cuomo and his staff’s electronic communication policy is remarkable in its privacy and opacity. (New York Times)

RELEVANT BILLS INTRODUCED:

• S.3367: A bill to deter the disclosure to the public of evidence or information on United States covert actions by prohibiting security clearances to individuals who make such disclosures. Referred to the Select Committee on Intelligence.

REST OF THE WEEK

• Show Me the Money: Improving the Transparency of Federal Spending: Senate Homeland Security and Government Affairs. Wed. 7/18. 9:30 a.m. 342 Dirksen Senate Office Building. Full committee hearing.
• Improving Cyber Security Information Sharing: Thurs. 7/19. 8:30 – 9:30 a.m. Bipartisan Policy Center. 1225 I Street NW, Suite 1000, Washington, D.C.
• Library of Congress: 2012 Inspector General Report on Library-Wide Acquisitions: House Administration. Thurs. 7/19. 10:30 a.m. 1310 Longworth House Office Building. Subcommittee on Oversight hearing.
• Digital Development: Connecting People and Technology in Foreign Assistance: Thurs. 7/19. 12:00 – 2:00 p.m. International Foundation for Electoral Systems. 1850 K Street NW, 5th Floor, Washington, D.C.
• U.S. Cybersecurity Threats and Responses Conference: Thurs. 7/19. 2:00 – 5:00 p.m. 2261 Rayburn House Office Building. 45 Independence Avenue SW, Washington, D.C.
• Open Internet Advisory Committee Meeting: Fri. 7/20. 10:30 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. Federal Communications Commission, Commission Meeting Room, 445 12th Street SW, Washington D.C.
• Nominations of Walter M. Shaub Jr. to be Director, Office of Government Ethics: Senate Homeland Security and Government Affairs. Fri. 7/20. 10:30 a.m. 342 Dirksen Senate Office Building. Full committee hearing.

JOB OPPORTUNITIES:

• None.

Do you want to track transparency news? You can add our feed to your Google Reader, or view it on our Netvibes page. You can also get 2Day in #OpenGov sent directly to your reader!