Sunlight Foundation

Press Articles & Mentions Archives

October 2009

• National Public Radio - Track Those Tax Dollars In An 'Augmented Reality'

  Clay Johnson, the Director of Sunlight Labs, discussed the new augmented reality mobile app that Sunlight created for the iPhone and Android platforms with NPR's All Things Considered.

• Miller-McCune - Monster Mashups Shine Light on Government

  Clay Johnson pulled out his iPhone to illustrate the kind of mashup that's possible when coders get their hands on data churned out by government, whole reams of transactions on where federal money is spent, who gets it and how it's used. On the screen was a live view up 19th Street in northwest Washington, the moving picture overlaid with small bubbles representing projects on this very block paid for by the American Reinvestment and Recovery Act.

• Budget Travel - Amtrak Loses $32 Per Rider

  Fun fact of the day: Every time a passenger rides Amtrak, the railroad loses $32 on average, say researchers at Pew's Subsidyscope project. Taxpayers cover that $32 per rider loss through federal government subsidies. Last year, taxpayers gave Amtrak $1.3 billion in direct payments.

• The Daily News - Baird's transparency effort earns honor, but his colleagues still aren't on board

  The nonpartisan Sunlight Foundation last week awarded Congressmen Brian Baird, D-Wash., and John Culberson, R-Texas, its Sunlight on the Hill Award. It’s well-deserved recognition of their commitment to passing Baird’s proposed 72-hour rule, which would require a three-day “timeout” to give lawmakers and the public time to read legislation before a final vote is taken.

• Longview News-Journal - Amtrak: Money Losses Shouldn't Stop or Slow Service

  A private study indicates it costs about $32 to subsidize each Amtrak passenger, which is about four times what the federally funded rail operator estimates. The study, conducted by Subsidyscope and funded by the Pew Charitable Trust, claims that nearly all of Amtrak's 44 routes lost money in 2008. The main difference in how the losses are recorded is that the rail operator does not count depreciation, and the Pew study did.

• Politico - Closed-door Health Care Reform Decried

  When Barack Obama was running for president, he vowed to lead the most open and transparent government in history. Candidate Obama even promised to negotiate health care reform live on television. Then it came time to govern, and President Obama has negotiated major parts of the health care bill behind closed doors. Earlier this year, he announced deals his administration had cut with drug companies and hospitals after brokering them out of public view. And now his top lieutenants are working in secret with leading Democrats to craft the health care bill that will be debated on the Senate floor.

• The Associated Press - Study: Amtrak loss comes to $32 per passenger

  WASHINGTON — U.S. taxpayers spent about $32 subsidizing the cost of the typical Amtrak passenger in 2008, about four times the rail operator's estimate, according to a private study. Amtrak operates a nationwide rail network, serving more than 500 destinations in 46 states. Forty-one of Amtrak's 44 routes lost money in 2008, said the study by Subsidyscope, an arm of the Pew Charitable Trusts.

• Comedy Central - The Daily Show: Net Neutrality Lobbying

• The American Prospect - The Obstacles to Real Health-Care Reform

  American presidents have tried seven times to bring us into the community of nations that provide health care to all citizens. Seven times the effort failed. More accurately, it was blocked. In the 1940s, the anti-reform movement was led by doctors, through the American Medical Association. In the 1990s, it was led by the insurance and small-business lobbies.

• Congressional Quarterly - Republican Clamors for Inside Look at Rulemaking Sessions

  No one who has attended a meeting of the House Rules Committee would be likely to think he or she had witnessed democracy in its purest form. Regardless of which party has controlled the House, the majority party members of the Rules panel have made all the decisions — often behind closed doors before the public meetings begin.

• MSNBC - Real Time Investigations on Rachel Maddow Show

• The Washington Times - Murtha, Moran Steer Millions to Software Firm

  When software firm MobilVox wanted to break into the lucrative world of defense contracting, it pursued an unmistakable strategy: It expanded operations from its Northern Virginia base in Rep. James P. Moran's congressional district to the southwestern Pennsylvania district of Rep. John P. Murtha.

• The Plain Dealer - You elected Sherrod Brown to legislate. Is he ever.

  WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Is it our imagination, or is Sherrod Brown introducing bills at a manic pace? His flury of introductions led us to several places (including Thomas.gov and OpenCongress.org) to run the numbers, and we can officially decree: Brown, an Ohio Democrat, is the most active freshman U.S. senator of 2009.

• The Chronicle - Baird Honored For 72-Hour Rule

  U.S. Rep. Brian Baird was honored for commitment to transparency in government by the nonpartisan Sunlight Foundation Wednesday. Baird and Congressman John Culberson, R-Texas, were both presented with the Sunlight on the Hill Award for legislative action relative to passing Baird’s proposed 72-hour rule.

• Billing World - Net Neutrality: McCain Moves Swiftly to Curtail FCC

  Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., thinks the FCC has “gone rogue” and is seeking to block the agency from regulating net neutrality. The self-declared maverick stayed on one side of the aisle Thursday when he introduced the Internet Freedom Act of 2009, proposed legislation that would bar the FCC from enacting rules to keep broadband providers from restricting or slowing Internet traffic.

• PC World - Surprise: McCain Biggest Beneficiary of Telco/ISP Lobby Money

  Senator John McCain (R-AZ) is the top recipient of campaign contributions from large Internet service providers like AT&T, Verizon and Comcast over the past two years, according to a new report from the Sunlight Foundation and the Center for Responsive Politics. McCain has taken in a total of $894,379 (much of that money going to support his failed 2008 bid for the presidency), more than twice the amount taken by the next-largest beneficiary, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev. ($341,089).

• The Hour - Feds Encourage Using Cars, Not Mass Transit

  We have been strong supporters of efforts to improve mass transit ridership in recent years and thought that the federal government, if you believed its press releases, held the same position. The federal and state governments fund bus lines and commuter rail lines, and you would assume the goal was to enhance mass transit services. Well, maybe.

• The Chronicle - Our Views: Give Baird Credit for Commitment to 72-Hour Rule

  David Castillo is running for Congress, hoping to unseat Rep. Brian Baird, D-Vancouver. Castillo, in our opinion, is the first credible opponent to emerge against Baird, who has been our congressman since being elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 1998. Baird has been popular, even in conservative Lewis County, being voted by the readers of The Chronicle as their favorite politician in past years.

• St. Paul Pioneer Press - Pawlenty hits D.C. Party Circuit

  Gov. Tim Pawlenty's "Freedom First" PAC holds its first big fundraiser tonight, a soiree where Pawlenty enthusiasts will be asked to donate $5,000 to be one of Pawlenty's "Leadership Team Members." CNN first had the goods on the party.

• Computer World - Is the Federal Stimulus Creating Tech Jobs? The Government isn't Saying

  WASHINGTON -- One obvious follow-up question to the U.S. government's announcement this month that the federal stimulus has created or saved 30,000 jobs so far is this: How many were IT and engineering jobs? Unfortunately, there isn't an answer.

• Consumer Affairs - FCC Votes To Create Net Neutrality Rules

  The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) voted unanimously today to begin the process of crafting formal rules for "net neutrality," the principle that all content on the Internet should be equally accessible to all users, and that companies cannot discriminate or block one set of content in favor of another.

• Boise Weekly - Fundraising For Now and For Later

  It is still a week or two shy of the Nov. 3 election, but some of you have already voted for your Boise City Council candidate of choice. Deputy City Clerk Wendy Burrows-Johnson tells citydesk that her office had received about 700 to 800 absentee ballot requests as of Oct. 19, and that early voting began at the Ada County Elections Office at 400 N. Benjamin Lane.

• The Washington Times - Health debate stimulates lobbyists

  As lawmakers considered last month taxing medical device makers to help pay for health care reform, a small army of lobbyists mobilized against the measure. They were backed by corporate lobbying budgets that have ballooned since the beginning of the year.

• PBS - Stimulus Bill Data Offer Glimpse of Effectiveness

  Americans and government watchdogs are getting their first glimpse at the results of the massive economic stimulus package heralded by President Barack Obama soon after taking office. New data, released on the government-run Web site Recovery.gov on Oct. 14, show the stimulus program has created or saved at least 30,383 jobs, though that covers only a sliver of the total aid package. Jared Bernstein, a senior economic advisor in the Obama administration, said in a White House blog post the data could be extrapolated to show at least one million jobs created or saved so far, based on the total amount spent.

• WBT News-Talk Radio - Jake Brewer discusses Read the Bill on WBT News-Talk Radio

• The Olympian - Baird Gets Award for Bill Transparency Fight

  If nothing else, U.S. Rep. Brian Baird is getting recognition for his effort to push House leaders into making major bills public for 72 hours before they are voted on. The Vancouver Democrat's spokesman put out a news release today announcing that the nonpartisan Sunlight Foundation has given its "Sunlight on the Hill Award" to Baird and Republican Rep. John Culberson of Texas.

• McClatchy - House Leaders Urged to Post Legislation Well Before Votes

  WASHINGTON - As Congress prepares to consider historic changes to the nation's health care system, Democratic leaders are balking at supporting a change in the rules that would let the public see the bills' texts 72 hours before a vote.

• Style Weekly - Cantor’s Friends

  When it comes to keeping big-spending liberals and big government in check, U.S. Rep. Eric Cantor, R-Henrico, often cites his steadfast allegiance to ordinary taxpayers. The rising Republican star and minority whip is a particularly staunch defender of the status quo in today’s system of managed care, although he acknowledges it’s too expensive.

• U.S. News & World Report - Hear All About It: the Top 10 Talkers in Congress

  Washington has always been disparaged for being a town of hot air, but now there's proof. What's more, we now know who the top 10 talkers are during any period. By charting the words spoken or added by members to the Congressional Record, the Sunlight Foundation's site determines who the blabbers are, who the quiet ones are, and what the top words spoken in the House and Senate chambers are. The word "health" is currently the top word, although the top 10 talkers aren't just those focused on the healthcare debate.

• ABC News - Is Stimulus Money Being Spent Too Fast?

  Could the wheels of government bureaucracy be grinding too quickly for once? States, in particular, have been criticized for taking too long to use money from the government's $787 billion stimulus package. Yet, some wonder whether the emphasis on "shovel-ready" projects under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act is putting pressure on federal, state and local officials to push forward on projects that either aren't ready for primetime or just aren't important enough to receive immediate funding.

• Hartford Courant - Play Fair On Transit

  Let's say you have a choice of whether to drive to work or take the bus. The bus would be the green choice. But Uncle Sam is telling you to drive. A recently released analysis by Subsidyscope, a joint project of Pew Charitable Trusts and the Sunlight Foundation, says that parking is favored over transit by the tax code. Workers can write off a maximum of $205 in monthly parking benefits, while the maximum tax-free value of transit passes is $105 per month.

• Pittsburgh Tribune-Review - Small Pa. airports get big bite of funding from FAA's federal grant program

  Westmoreland County's Rostraver Airport doesn't offer commercial flights, but over the past five years it received more than $2.1 million from a federal program funded largely through fees on airline tickets, a study shows.

• Politico - White House Helped Create Corporate-Backed Health Care Campaign

  At a meeting last April with corporate lobbyists, aides to President Barack Obama and Sen. Max Baucus (D-Mont.) helped set in motion a multimillion-dollar advertising campaign, primarily financed by industry groups, that has played a key role in bolstering public support for health care reform.

• The Associated Press - ALL BUSINESS: Lobbyists influence financial reform

  NEW YORK — Get over it, America. Wall Street bankers make too much money. The latest example: Goldman Sachs says it has set aside $16.7 billion so far this year for compensation — or about $530,000 per employee. Not bad for a company that a year ago received $10 billion in federal money as well as $12.9 billion from the government's bailout of American International Group Inc.

• The Salt Lake Tribune - Bennett Spends More Campaign Cash than Raised

  Washington: Sen. Bob Bennett's campaign burned through more money in the past quarter than he raised but the senator still holds a sizable bank of cash heading into the 2010 election.

• Norwich Bulletin - Danielson airport upgrades move toward end-of-the-year completion

  The installation of a new aircraft taxiway exit, along with additional drainage and lighting, at Danielson Airport should be completed by the end of the year, state officials said. The concrete road — a shortcut planes will use after landing on the airport’s lone 2,700-foot runway — will be 90-feet long and connect to the main taxiway. The $522,000 project was primarily funded with $458,000 in federal money, though the state put up $64,000 in matching funds, Judd Everhart, state Department of Transportation spokesman, wrote in an e-mail.

• NextGov - Critics Fault Recovery Board's First Posting of Stimulus Data

  Government officials in charge of tracking spending aimed at stimulating the economy released on Thursday unprecedented details of financial transactions, but the information they posted on the Web might be unintelligible to the public, information specialists and watchdog groups said.

• TVO - Lawrence Lessig on The Agenda - Digital Activism

• The Associated Press - House Panel Begins Push on Financial Overhaul

  WASHINGTON — Small neighborhood banks and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce are overshadowing the nation's biggest banks in influencing lawmakers as Congress begins the initial phase of its long-awaited overhaul of how the government regulates financial companies.

• Government Technology - Tracking Transparency's Direct and Indirect Costs (Opinion)

  The problem with promises is that they set expectations on which it's impossible to deliver. Consider transparency. It's a friendly word with a progressive edge as used by the Obama administration, which days after inauguration, declared its commitment "to creating an unprecedented level of openness in government. We will work together to ensure the public trust and establish a system of transparency, public participation and collaboration. Openness will strengthen our democracy and promote efficiency and effectiveness in government."

• MSNBC - Dylan Ratigan's Morning Meeting v. Rep. Barney Frank

• Business Journal - Sunshine Shines Light on Bean

  The Sunlight Foundation, a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization dedicated to greater openness and transparency in government, singled out U.S. Rep. Melissa Bean for receiving $269,800 in contributions through the first half of this year from finance, insurance and real estate (FIRE) sectors – tops among members of the House’s Financial Services Committee.

• Charleston Daily Mail - Agency Fails to Meet its Own Standards

  CHARLESTON, W.Va.--Federal stimulus projects at several West Virginia airports highlight one of the fundamental tensions officials face as they spend money from the $787 billion national stimulus package. While state airports are benefiting from the stimulus money and creating dozens of jobs with it, most of the money awarded has not been distributed according to standards the Federal Aviation Administration set for itself. Instead, the agency is said to have sought to spend the money quickly.

• The Washington Post Writers Group - Cold Cash's Long Reach

  WASHINGTON -- I don't have a sex scandal for you. The foibles of politicians and celebrities titillate. But ultimately, they have little to do with the most enduring and corrosive scandal of our civic life. It unfolds out in the open, day after day.

• Peoria Journal Star - Our View: House Democrats Must Prove That Ethics Matter

  Have majority Democrats in Congress learned nothing from the GOP's mistakes when it held the reins?

• USA Today - Airport Check-in: Low-priority projects get stimulus funds

  About $270 million in federal stimulus money awarded by the Federal Aviation Administration has gone to more than 90 airport projects that received low-priority ratings by the FAA, according to data by Subsidyscope, an initiative of The Pew Charitable Trusts.

• Lockport Union-Sun & Journal - Lee Says Lawmakers Need Time to Read Legislation

  NORTH TONAWANDA — Congressman Chris Lee, R-Clarence, stopped in North Tonawanda on Friday calling for reform regarding the time he and his colleagues have to read lengthy bills before a vote. He said the way things work currently, representatives are the victims of some pretty absurd logistics. For instance, he produced a 1,400-page bill on cap and trade tax legislation recently introduced on a Friday at 3 a.m. Lee and others in Congress were then asked to vote on the bill by 7 p.m. the same day.

• Burlington Free Press - Welch Backs Extension of Homebuyer Tax Credit

  ESSEX — The Wignalls say that without the $8,000 boost they received from the government, they would have had to wait at least a few more years to buy a house. Lindsey and Matt Wignall, both 28, bought a house in Essex after moving back to Vermont from Washington to raise their two sons. Lindsey graduated from St. Michael’s College, and Matt graduated from Norwich University. Matt works full-time for the Vermont National Guard, and Lindsey works full-time raising the kids.

• Louisville Courier-Journal - 14 Health Care Groups and Their Lobbyists Gave More Than $500,000 to McConnell

  WASHINGTON — Since 2007, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell has received more than half a million dollars from 14 health-care organizations and their 127 outside lobbyists — more than any other member of Congress except former presidential candidate Sen. John McCain. That kind of concentrated bundling of donations is part of an unseen web of campaign giving, according to a new study by the non-partisan Sunlight Foundation and the Center for Responsive Politics.

• The Wall Street Journal - FAA Stimulus Recipients Got Low Priority Ratings

  WASHINGTON -- More than $270 million in stimulus grants awarded by the Federal Aviation Administration have gone to projects that scored below the agency's own threshold for weeding out low-priority proposals, according to data being released Wednesday by a government watchdog group.

• WZFG - Lisa Rosenberg discusses the 72 hour rule on the Scott Hennen show on WZFG

  Lisa Rosenberg, the Government Affairs Consultant for the Sunlight Foundation, discussed the 72 hour rule on 'Hot Talk' with Scott Hennen on WZFG:

• Reuters - U.S. Stimulus Money Funds Some Low Priority Projects

  More than a quarter of all airport improvement grants from U.S. economic stimulus funds have gone to lower priority projects, an independent analysis found on Wednesday. Much of the $270 million went to more than 90 projects rated by the Federal Aviation Administration, according to Subsidyscope, a research database affiliated with the Pew Charitable Trusts.

• Roll Call - Watchdogs Want More Tariff Details

  Despite new disclosure rules that require more specifics from lobbyists who are pushing for tariff measures, watchdog groups complain that it is still too hard for the public to determine which companies are seeking these lucrative trade breaks.

• Politifact.com - Speed-reading the Health Care Reform Bill?

  With the massive health care bill about to come to the House and Senate, members of Congress are arguing about a reading assignment: How long should they have to read a bill that could be 1,000 pages long? House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has promised 72 hours -- three days -- for a final bill to be available online before a vote. Centrist Democratic Senators have asked Majority leader Harry Reid for guarantees of 72 hours for bills in the Senate.

• Jackson Free Press - Public Option: A Necessity?

  Blane McClellan, co-owner of Security Services Inc. of Jackson, says he wants a public option in the national health-care plan to compete with insurance companies that routinely refuse to cover his daughter due to her history of medical ailments.

• Forbes - Tracking Foreign Influence

  One of the side effects of being a superpower is that your every twitch affects far-flung corners of the globe. The far-flung corners, consequently, want to press their various cases in Washington. And so like any U.S. company or interest group, foreign governments hire lobbyists, lawyers and public relations firms. Now a new Web site makes it easier to track what foreign governments are paying for what. In doing so, it also shines a brighter light on the wider world of lobbying.

• Politico - Critics Blast $3M Mining Handout

  A mining company owned by Goldman Sachs and two private equity funds is in line to get a $3 million earmark for work at a rare earth elements mine in Mountain Pass, Calif. — raising questions as to why Congress would take on some of the risk for a bailed-out investment giant that’s already making a profit.

• The Washington Examiner - Congressional Leaders Fight Against Posting Bills Online

  As Congress lurches closer to a decision on an enormous overhaul of the American health care system, pressure is mounting on legislative leaders to make the final bill available online for citizens to read before a vote. Lawmakers were given just hours to examine the $789 billion stimulus plan, sweeping climate-change legislation and a $700 billion bailout package before final votes.

• Federal News Radio - Chopra, Kundra Speak Out on Technology and Government

  Two of the President's top technology "lieutenants" took to the stage at a conference to step back from their busy schedules, and reflect on initiatives on transparency and openness in government launched by the Obama Administration.

• WUSA9 - Should All Congressional Bills Be Posted Online?

  WASHINGTON, DC (WUSA) -- Should Members of Congress and members of the public have 72 hours to read legislation online before debate begins on the House floor? A growing number of House members thinks the answer is yes.

• WBAL - Lisa Rosenberg discusses the 72 hour rule on the Ron Smith Show on WBAL

  Lisa Rosenberg, the Government Affairs Consultant for the Sunlight Foundation, discussed the 72 hour rule on the Ron Smith Show on WBAL:

• The Washington Post - Eye Opener: The Federal Register Relaunches

  Happy Monday! It's an important day for lawyers, lobbyists, librarians, good government groups, Gov 2.0 junkies and citizens concerned about the business of the executive branch, because the White House, National Archives and Government Printing Office relaunch the online version of the Federal Register today in XML format at Data.gov.

• The Washington Post - A More Web-Friendly Register

  Lawyers, lobbyists, librarians and concerned citizens, rejoice: As of Monday, it is much easier to access the Federal Register. The de facto daily newspaper of the executive branch publishes approximately 80,000 pages of documents each year, including presidential disaster declarations, Medicare reimbursement rates, and thousands of agency rulings on policies ranging from banking to fishing to food. It's a must-read for anyone with business before the federal government or concerned about inside-the-Beltway decisions, including academics, good-government advocates and Register junkies (yes, they do exist).

• USA Today - Most Lobbyist Money Going to Dems

  WASHINGTON — Fundraising by Washington lobbyists so far this year has chiefly benefited the Democratic Party, according to a USA TODAY analysis of campaign finance reports available for the first time under a new ethics law. Federal lobbyists helped collect more than $3.7 million during the first six months of 2009, and nearly $2.3 million went to Democrats, the analysis shows. The party now controls both chambers of Congress and the White House.

• InformationWeek - Federal Register Made Available In XML Format

  After prompting from open government advocates, the White House has begun publishing the U.S. government's official journal, the Federal Register, in XML, making public announcements easier to search, organize, and access.

• MSNBC - Jake Brewer on Dylan Ratigan's Morning Meeting

• The Philadelphia Inquirer - PhillyDeals: By Friday, panel gave states the insurance option

  The Democrats who dominate Congress spent last week arguing with one another about whether and how the government ought to compete with private health insurers, under President Obama's health-care expansion. "You had people looking for any reason to slow down, which means 'Stop the bill,' " Sen. Bob Casey (D., Pa.) told me. Liberals such as Sen. Jay Rockefeller (D., W.Va.) pushed for a low-cost, government- run insurer for low-income workers. More business-friendly members such as Sen. Max Baucus (D., Mont.) argued that would hurt private insurers, such as Cigna Corp. and Independence Blue Cross.

• The Times-Picayune - Sen. Mary Landrieu and Rep. Charles Boustany Benefit from Health Care Lobbyists' Contributions

  The Center for Responsive Politics and the Sunlight Foundation said it's no surprise the health care industry has stepped up contributions to lawmakers in hopes of influencing the current debate over health care reform. What's new, they say, is that these health groups have tried to "enhance" their influence by having their lobbyists also donate, although the groups said they can't say for sure whether this is all a coordinated effort.

• The Hill - Nats win the pennant when it comes to D.C. fundraising success

  The Washington Nationals are proving that you don’t need a winning team to be successful in politics. The five-year-old Major League Baseball franchise easily beat out the other major DC sports franchises - the Redskins, Capitals and Wizards - in being chosen as a location for political fundraising events. The team’s stadium, Nationals Park, was the site of at least 44 fundraisers during baseball games since its opening day in March 2008. A review of data compiled by the Sunlight Foundation's Party Time! project shows that the number of fundraisers held during Nats games beat the combined total of parties held during games for the other area’s NFL, NBA and NHL teams, as well as the D.C. United pro soccer team.

• The Washington Post - Health-Care Bill Fuels Debate on Public Access to Legislation

  The debate over health-care reform has given new momentum to an old goal of some good-government groups: greater public access to legislation that Congress is considering. Much of that new energy is being fueled by conservative foes of health care who see political opportunity in their efforts.

• Mother Jones - Max Baucus Hearts Lobbyists (397th Edition)

  Money buys results in Washington. And health insurance companies and their lobbyists are spending a lot of money trying to buy results from Sen. Max Baucus (D-Mont.). As chair of the Senate Finance Committee, Baucus is playing a key role in writing health care reform legislation. The health insurance industry has all the reasons in the world to make sure they're on his good side. That's probably why, as an investigation by the Sunlight Foundation and the Center for Responsive Politics recently revealed, it's not just health insurance companies giving Baucus money—it's their lobbyists, too:

• CBS News - Watchdogs Highlight Donations from Health Lobbyists

  Legislators influencing the health care debate are not only receiving significant political donations from members of the health and insurance industries but also from the numerous lobbyists that represent the industries, a report by two Washington watchdog groups shows.

• The Washington Post - Report Details Lawmakers' 'One-Two Punch' in Health-Care Donations

  The health-care industry is already one of the leading contributors to Congress, but a new study finds that health-care lobbyists add to the industry's clout by giving money to many of the same lawmakers themselves.