Today in #OpenGov 12/3/2013

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National News

  • Ceasars’ Casino needs to get its PAC money right, according to FEC auditors. The auditors found that the PAC had under-reported its receipts by over $150,000 and its expenditures by more than $90,000 over a two year period.  (Roll Call)
  • Journalists and free-press advocates are keeping up the pressure on the White House a week after close to 40 news outlets filed a formal complaint over the Obama Administration’s policy limiting access to photographers. (Washington Times)

International News

  • The Spanish Senate approved a “transparency” law last week, despite widespread opposition from civil society groups and political organizations who argued that the bill ignored international standards for right to information laws.  (Access Info)
  • Austria and Bosnia have joined the growing ranks of countries making budget information available online. Austria’s recently launched system covers all of the country’s 2,356 municipalities while Bosnia’s aims to help citizens understand the tax system and how funds are spread across the government. (International Budget Partnership)
  • The Speaker of the British House of Commons is setting up a Commission on Digital Democracy to explore ways to further modernize parliament and government more broadly. (Global Center for ICT in Parliament)

State and Local News

  • The Iowa Public Information Board is up and running, but it might be heading backwards when it comes to ensuring government transparency. The board has already made a series of decisions that hinder journalists and members of the public. (Columbia Journalism Review)
  • New York’s Moreland Commission, set up to investigate corruption in the state, is set to issue its report next week. In the meantime, the New York Public Interest Research group urged the commission to consider a series of campaign finance reforms. (Rochester Democrat and Chronicle)

Events Tomorrow

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