NEWS ROUNDUP:

• $60,000 worth of lobbying has been disclosed a mere 4 years after an Arnold & Porter partner started working for Vitreo-Retinal Consultants, the eye-care company controlled by noted Bob Menendez (D-NJ) donor Salomon Melgen. Melgen’s lawyers had previously claimed that he had never hired a lobbyist for himself or his business interests. (POLITICO)
• The International Sanitation Hackathon, hosted last December by the World Bank, pulled together 1,100 participants in 40 cities and created 30 new apps dealing with sanitation issues. (Tech President)
• The nascent truce between House Oversight chairman Darrell Issa and his ranking member Elijah Cummings is facing its first major test. Cummings is seeking whistle-blower documents from Issa, but the whistleblower in question, who uncovered information related to contracting problems in the Commerce Department, is worried that Cummings might share the information with the Obama administration, setting the whistleblower up for retaliation. (Roll Call)
• The Internet Association is boosting its in house team of lobbyists with some outside help. The association, which was formed late last year, hired Kountoupes Denham and Franklin Square Group. Both firms have experience representing tech clients. (The Hill)
• A new paper out of the New America Foundation suggests that the CRS and GAO aren’t enough, especially at current funding levels. Members of Congress need experts to provide them with unbiased research and the paper recommends some state level corollaries that could be adapted to help Congress. (Fierce Government)
• The beer wars are coming to Capitol Hill with a showdown over taxes. Huge brewers and craft operations are waging a proxy war through their respective trade associations, the Beer Institute and the Brewers Association, over the Small Brewer Reinvestment and Expanding Workforce (Small BREW) Act, which would lower taxes on small breweries. (The Hill)
• President Obama is turning to California’s billionaires to help him raise money for the DCCC. A trip to California next week includes fundraisers with at least two billionaire bundlers(POLITICO)

RELEVANT BILLS INTRODUCED:

• None.

HAPPENING TODAY 3/28:

• Waste, Fraud, and Abuse: Detecting and preventing wasteful and improper payments. Federal Computer Week. 7:30 – 11:30 am. Willard InterContinental Hotel, 1401 Pennsylvania Ave, NW Washington, DC 20004.
• Information Session: US and International Anti-Corruption Law Summer Program. AU WCL. 12:00 – 1:00 pm. AU WCL, 4801 Massachusetts Ave NW, International Lounge, Washington, DC 20016.
• Chad and the Darfur Crisis: How radio made a difference. Internews. 9:30 – 11:30 am. Human Rights Campaign, 1640 Rhode Island Ave, NW, first floor.

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