Sunlight Foundation

Press Articles & Mentions Archives

March 2010

• Pine Bluff Commercial - Know the truth about politics

  Editor, The Commercial: The scriptures, in John 8:32, tell us "Then ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall set you free". But when it comes to Mike Ross, 4th District congressman, just what is the truth about him? Is he a Democrat in name only (a DINO), or a Republican disguised as a Democrat?

• The Herald-Sun - Public records? Post them online

  This editorial appeared in The Washington Post:

• Nature Medicine - FDA initiative may crack wall of secrecy

  Much of the information gathered by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) from pharmaceutical companies is ultimately not published. But this data can provide insight into drug efficacy and safety, and thus many people have called for greater access to it. The agency is now mulling over whether to release more information from unpublished clinical trials as part of its ‘Transparency Initiative’, the first phase of which was unveiled on 12 January.

• The Hill - Advocates: Earmark database needed

  Congressional appropriators aren’t meeting the White House’s goal of creating a searchable earmark database, according to transparency advocates.

• The Press Democrat - $864 million earmarks sought

  North Coast Reps. Lynn Woolsey, D-Petaluma, and Mike Thompson, D-St. Helena, have requested more than $864 million in federal spending, known as earmarks, mostly on projects within their districts.

• Silver City Sun-News - Their view: A sensible step for increased access to public information

  The following editorial appeared in the Washington Post: In the last scene of "Raiders of the Lost Ark," a clerk wheels the crated Ark of the Covenant into a cavernous government warehouse, destined to be lost among endless rows of nondescript boxes. The film's protagonist, Indiana Jones, mutters: "Fools, bureaucratic fools. ... They don't know what they've got there."

• The Boston Globe - Campaign finance: Disclose corporate, union ads

  The Supreme Court decision letting corporations and unions spend unlimited amounts touting political candidates — or trashing those they oppose — could make officeholders more beholden to special interests. The least Congress can do is require full disclosure of such expenditures and insist that shareholders or union members approve them.

• Fox News - Sunlight Foundation's Bill Allison on America Live to discuss earmarks

  The Sunlight Foundation's editorial director, Bill Allison, appeared on Fox News to discuss research of earmarks surrounding the 'Stupak 11':

• Roll Call - HOH’s One-Minute Recess: Let It Rock

  With Congress out of town, at least two Congressional campaigns are letting their hair down and readying to rock out — all in the name of raising some campaign cash.

• Fox News - Pro-Life Democrats Who Switched Vote for Health Bill Request Billions in Earmarks

  The 11 House Democrats led by Rep. Bart Stupak who dropped their opposition to health care reform legislation mere hours before the final vote have requested $3.4 billion in earmarks -- and one watchdog group wants to know whether the money represents business as usual or political payoffs.

• The Washington Examiner - Mark Hemingway: Stuffing union coffers with taxpayer cash

  One day last fall, approximately 40,000 private day care owners in Michigan woke up to discover they had become members of a public sector union. Most had no idea what was coming.

• Culpeper Star-Exponent - Cantor No. 3 highest spender among Va. congressmen

  Of the 11 congressmen from Virginia, U.S. Rep. Tom Perriello, D-Ivy, was the most frugal with taxpayer money in 2009, newly released office expenditure records show.

• The Charlottesville Daily Progress - Perriello wins high marks in frugality

  Of the 11 congressmen from Virginia, U.S. Rep. Tom Perriello, D-Ivy, was the most frugal with taxpayer money in 2009, newly released office expenditure records show.

• Fox News - Sunlight's Bill Allison discusses Earmarks on Happening Now

  The Sunlight Foundation's editorial director, Bill Allison, appeared on the Happening Now show on Fox News to discuss research of earmarks surrounding the 'Stupak 11':

• Denton Record-Chronicle - Other Voices: Sensible step toward greater transparency

  In the last scene of Raiders of the Lost Ark, a clerk wheels the crated Ark of the Covenant into a cavernous government warehouse, destined to be lost among endless rows of nondescript boxes. The film’s protagonist, Indiana Jones, mutters: “Fools, bureaucratic fools. ... They don’t know what they’ve got there.”

• Fox News - The Sunlight Foundation's Bill Allison on Bulls and Bears

  The Sunlight Foundation's editorial director, Bill Allison, appeared on Fox News to discuss research of earmarks surrounding the 'Stupak 11':

• Fox News - The Sunlight Foundation's Bill Allison on Fox Report with Shepard Smith

  The Sunlight Foundation's editorial director, Bill Allison, appeared on Fox News to discuss research of earmarks surrounding the 'Stupak 11':

• Napa Valley Register - Key data, just a click away

  In the last scene of “Raiders of the Lost Ark,” a clerk wheels the crated Ark of the Covenant into a cavernous government warehouse, destined to be lost among endless rows of nondescript boxes. The film’s protagonist, Indiana Jones, mutters: “Fools, bureaucratic fools. ... They don’t know what they’ve got there.”

• The Washington Post - Sunshine online

  IN THE LAST scene of "Raiders of the Lost Ark," a clerk wheels the crated Ark of the Covenant into a cavernous government warehouse, destined to be lost among endless rows of nondescript boxes. The film's protagonist, Indiana Jones, mutters: "Fools, bureaucratic fools. . . . They don't know what they've got there."

• El Paso Times - Transparency: Sunlight Foundation forms key committee

  During the contentious debate over health-care legislation, it became obvious that not only did Democrats wish to exclude Republicans from the deliberations, but they also wanted to exclude the American public from the process.

• Belleville News-Democrat - Report: Costello asked for $1.4 billion in earmarks after switching health-care vote

  A government think tank Friday cited Rep. Jerry Costello, D-Belleville, and other anti-abortion House members for having dramatically increased their earmark requests after passing the health care reform bill earlier this week.

• USA Today - Opposing view: 'Earmark' isn't a dirty word

  On the surface, the recent decision by the House of Representatives to ban all congressional earmarks directed to private companies might appear to be in the public interest. In reality, such a move would only empower the executive branch and shift the attention of lobbyists from Congress to unelected bureaucrats, who have no accountability to the taxpayer.

• The Daily Caller - After voting ‘yes’ on health care, ‘Stupak 11′ requested $4.7 billion in earmarks

  The Sunlight Foundation comes through with a dagger of a story: A day after Rep. Bart Stupak, D-Mich., and ten other House members compromised on their pro-life position to deliver the necessary yes-votes to pass health care reform, the “Stupak 11″ released their fiscal year 2011 earmark requests, which total more than $4.7 billion–an average of $429 million worth of earmark requests for each lawmaker.

• Federal Computer Week - Lawmaker wants more technology for transparency

  A House bill that a lawmaker drafted based in part on public input via a transparency advocacy group would require increased use of new technologies and more disclosure from lobbyists and lawmakers.

• Russia Today - Jake Brewer discusses political climate on Russia Today

  Russia Today's The Alyona Show had the Sunlight Foundation's engagement director, Jake Brewer, on to discuss health care and other major political issues of today:

• Capitol News Connection - Nebraska Companies Spend Thousands on Heath Care Lobby

  Many Nebraska companies are hiring health care lobbyists to get their voices heard in Washington. Matt Laslo reports on why critics say that raises red flags.

• Free Press - Media Minutes: March 26, 2010

  A new bill has been introduced in Congress that would require all public information from most federal agencies to be made available online. And mainstream media's reporters could learn something from aggressive celebrity paparazzi.

• The Daily Caller - Short-lived adventures in bill-reading

  I am what you might call completely average. By that I mean I watched the health-care debate come to life, heat up, and start to cool off. I listened to commentary by “journalists” and talk show hosts on everything from CNN to MSNBC to Fox; read pieces in The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal, on The Huffington Post and here on The Daily Caller. Oh, on Facebook, too.

• The Hill - Design for America contest from Sunlight Foundation

  The folks at the Sunlight Foundation's Sunlight Labs just announced the Design for America competition.

• St. Petersburg Times - National, local Republicans raise cash for C.W. Bill Young

  U.S. Rep. C.W. Bill Young is ramping up the fundraising with events in Washington and St. Petersburg as he seeks to keep his 40-year lock on District 10 seat with big-name support (not that the GOP was exactly standing in his way against Democrat Charlie Justice).

• The Huffington Post - Reps. Quigley, Issa, and 18 Others Form 'Congressional Transparency Caucus'

  Representatives Mike Quigley and Darrell Issa announced the creation of the bipartisan "Congressional Transparency Caucus" today. This historic move provides an exciting new way for Members of Congress to work together in support of open government initiatives.

• The Hill - Some Dems use votes on healthcare bill for new fundraising push

  Some vulnerable Democrats are using their controversial vote in favor of the healthcare bill to raise money before the first-quarter reporting deadline.

• The Huffington Post - Celebrating Transparency Heroes on Ada Lovelace Day

  What better celebration of Ada Lovelace Day -- celebrating the achievements of women in technology -- could we have than to honor the women who are key to the government transparency movement to which technology is so key? These women are using technology to pry open the doors of government, and are creating a new style of transparency powered by the Internet. By either making more political and spending data available online, facilitating others to do the same, addressing questions that arise in the age of technology or by creating new tools and context to help all of us connect the dots and understand what the data has to tell us, these women are empowering all of us to hold our government accountable in ways we never could before. As I look around to my colleagues, I see a remarkable number of us - too many to really mention in one column. So here are a few:

• The Huffington Post - GOP Senators Refusing To Work Past 2PM, Invoking Obscure Rule

  Senate Republicans fuming over the passage of health care reform are now refusing to work past 2 p.m. -- a tactic they can employ by invoking a little-known Senate rule. On Wednesday, the Judiciary Committee was forced to cancel a hearing as was the Senate Armed Services Committee.

• The Huffington Post - Congressional Fundraising Hits Quarterly Climax: Guess How Many Events Today!

  Congressional fundraising hit its climax for the quarter on Wednesday, with 67 events crammed into 24 hours, according to data compiled by the nonpartisan Sunlight Foundation -- possibly a single-day record. There are at least 153 events in total this week.

• MSNBC - Rachel Maddow uses a clip of Sunlight's Ellen Miller

  MSNBC's Rachel Maddow Show included a clip with the Sunlight Foundation's Ellen Miller when discussing the stoppage of Senate business after 2 pm:

• Government Executive - Senate Grinds To A Halt

  It's hard to get more ironic than this. A Senate hearing on federal financial management and transparency in government was shut down early yesterday because of an obscure Senate rule which says the chamber cannot conduct hearings after 2 p.m. without unanimous consent. Republicans refused to consent to continuing the hearings.

• The Colorado Independent - Pouting GOP taking off at tea time in DC, furthering gridlock

  Republicans lawmakers in DC are really mad that they lost the battle on health care. So for the last two days they have invoked a rule held over from ye olde colonial times, perhaps, that says all parliamentary business that would push the day beyond 2 pm tea time must be agreed upon unanimously. In a funk, Republicans will no longer agree to any such thing. Tea time will definitely be observed!

• CSPAN - John Wonderlich speaks at Center for American Progress

  The Sunlight Foundation's policy director, John Wonderlich, speaks at the Center for American Progress during Sunshine Week alongside Norm Eisen and Jim Harper.

• The Pantagraph - Don't give up trying to reform earmark process

  The U.S. House of Representatives took meaningful steps earlier this month to curtail earmark abuse. It is a pity that the Senate did not follow in its footsteps. Instead, on a 68-29 vote, with 15 Republicans joining 43 Democrats, a proposal to freeze spending earmarks for a year failed Tuesday. Sens. Dick Durbin and Roland Burris opposed the reform measure.

• The Daily Record - Earmark reform: Not much impact in N.J.

  WASHINGTON — An attempt to reform the earmarking process in Congress is not expected to have a major impact on money for New Jersey. Democratic leaders in the House have banned earmarks — money for special home-district projects that lawmakers have routinely inserted in spending bills — that would benefit for-profit companies such as defense contractors.

• The Courier-Post - Earmark rule not making impact

  WASHINGTON — An attempt to reform the earmarking process in Congress is not expected to have a major effect on money for New Jersey. Democratic leaders in the House have banned earmarks -- money for special home-district projects that lawmakers have routinely inserted in spending bills -- that would benefit for-profit companies such as defense contractors.

• Des Moines Register - Late add-ons to Iowa budget bills receive little public view

  The final days of the legislative session could bring last-minute budget amendments that change Iowa law and increase spending with little or no public input. That's the view of multiple open-government advocates, lobbyists and politicians.

• Federal Computer Week - Federal 100: Clay Johnson

  Clay Johnson Director of Sunlight Labs Sunlight Foundation

• The Charlottesville Daily Progress - Earmarks need transparency

  What to do about earmarks? Public condemnation of lawmakers’ practice of personally sponsoring large awards of tax money to questionable projects has produced some reforms. The process is now a bit more transparent, and — hopefully as a result — there have been some small declines in the amount of money awarded.

• Capitol News Connection - Health Care Lobbyists Outnumber Maryland Delegation

  Lobbyists for Maryland health groups out number the state’s Congressional delegation by about 23 to one. The number is a tad misleading because many national organizations are based in the suburbs outside Washington, but it does provide a snapshot of life on Capitol Hill for Maryland lawmakers.

• Pacific Daily News - Put all public information on Internet

  Every day, the federal government releases vast amounts of useful information about every aspect of our nation and how government works. This public information has a deep impact on almost every aspect of American life. Some of it can be used to hold our elected officials accountable for their actions, or have a profound effect on health, economic development and commerce.

• The McPherson Sentinel - The good, the bad and the ugly of earmarks

  McPherson, Kan. — Congressman Jerry Moran recently joined with other House Republicans in a push for a one-year moratorium on earmarks. “(This is) the first step in regaining the taxpayers’ trust, and this effort wouldn’t have been successful without Congressman Moran’s leadership,” said Congressman Jeff Flake (R-AZ), an advocate of earmark reform. Moran added, “Spending is occurring at an alarming rate – our country is broke. This is a step to ending business as usual in Washington, D.C.”

• The Echo Press - Editorial - Open government records to Internet

  Every day, the federal government releases vast amounts of useful information about every aspect of our nation and how government works. This public information has a deep impact on almost every aspect of American life. Some of it can be used to hold our elected officials accountable for their actions, or have a profound effect on health, economic development and commerce. The problem is, much of this government information is too often hard to find, difficult to understand, expensive to obtain in useful formats, and available in only a few locations.

• The St. Louis Dispatch - Earmarks: The pork that defies reform.

  Here’s an issue the United States Senate had no trouble mustering a filibuster-proof majority for: earmarks.

• NextGov - Agencies must be the engines behind sustained transparency push

  A top administration official on Friday said federal agencies and the public, more than the White House, are accountable for sustaining open government. The day after taking office, President Obama committed himself to an open government agenda that would improve transparency, citizen participation and public-private interaction, in part by applying new technologies to agency operations.

• National Journal - White House's Eisen Reports on Transparency

  All 17 government executive agencies have "made concrete changes" to their transparency standards since President Obama issued his Open Government Directive last December, according to Special Counsel to the President for Ethics and Government Reform Norm Eisen, who spoke today in detail at the Building Transparency panel hosted by the Center for American Progress.

• The Denver Post - Sen. Bennet slips between worlds of reform, fundraising

  WASHINGTON — U.S. Sen. Michael Bennet has settled on the persona of a Washington reformer as the best way to steer his election bid through the choppy waters of 2010, touting an ambitious 'fix-it' agenda in his first campaign ad this week.

• The Californian - Editorial: Improve access to city leaders on the Web

  Open government. It's a phrase getting a lot of attention these days, especially this week during Sunshine Week. Sunshine Week is an annual call for more transparency in government; it is devoted to encouraging public access to government information and inspiring more citizens to go after it.

• The National Law Journal - Supreme Court Unveils New Web Site Design

  The Supreme Court's long-awaited Web site redesign was unveiled Thursday at supremecourt.gov, bringing the site into the 21st century only a few years late.

• The Casper Star-Tribune - Bill enhances goals of Sunshine Week

  Sunshine Week is an important event in newsrooms around the country, including the Star-Tribune's. But it should be just as noteworthy to every American, since it focuses on the public's right to know. The week, which officially ends Saturday, is an initiative that's been spearheaded by the American Society of News Editors since 2005. Its goal is to educate the public about the importance of open government and the dangers of excessive and unnecessary secrecy.

• National Journal - An Upgrade For FOIA

  The Freedom of Information Act needs an upgrade befitting the ease and access of the Internet era, according to Rep. Steve Israel, who has introduced a bill promising just that.

• Federal News Radio - Sunlight Labs debuts 'Design for America' contest

  You might remember Apps for America, the contest by Sunlight Labs that awards ideas to help make Congress more transparent.

• Seattle PostGlobe - Had trouble getting info from the government? Tell it to the Datamine project

  I heard about this cool project in which the Center for Public Integrity and the Sunlight Foundation are asking citizens to contribute to their Datamine project for Sunshine Week. So instead of a longer post, here’s the text of a post I made to the Society of Environmental Journalists’ SEJ-Talk listserv:

• IDG News Service - Sunlight Foundation wants more government docs online

  The Sunlight Foundation has launched a campaign to pressure all levels of government in the U.S. to put more information online. The foundation, a nonpartisan advocate for open government and transparency, launched the Public=Online campaign Thursday at Google's Washington, D.C., office. About 100 people attended the event, and they came from a wide range of the political spectrum in the U.S., said Jake Brewer, engagement director at the foundation.

• TruthOut - New Legislation Will Bring Light to Government's Dark Spaces

  On Tuesday, Rep. Steve Israel (D-New York) introduced a banner piece of legislation to create greater governmental transparency by making public government information available online. The bill, the Public Online Information Act (POIA), directly confronts the problem that massive quantities of government data and documentation are still largely inaccessible because they are difficult to find and difficult to read, despite being designated as "public,"according to Israel.

• Glen Falls Post Star - Editorial: Good, bad news on sunshine front

  Halfway through Sunshine Week, we're getting some positive news and some not-so-positive news about the public's right to know. Let's start with the most pressing news, which happens to be negative. Really negative.

• Summit Daily News - Editorial: Let the sunshine in

  Those with an interest in government transparency know that, even in today's broader and more scattered media landscape, newspapers are typically at the forefront of pressing government to keep the books open. This is “Sunshine Week,” a time of year promoted by the American Association of Newspaper Editors to remind Americans what we have a right to know, and it's a good time to underscore the fact that even a small community like Summit County is not immune to breaches in the Freedom of Information Act — as well as what can be maddening examples of information roadblocks both deliberate and unintentional.

• The Newport Daily News - Sunshine Week: Today, accessible means online

  Every day, the federal government releases vast amounts of useful information about every aspect of our nation and how government works. This public information has a deep impact on almost every aspect of American life.

• Advertiser-Tribune - The time has come for online disclosure

  Today's guest column supplied by Sunlight Foundation argues for the federal government to "proactively" disclose public information online. The state of Ohio has taken a helpful step toward that goal by not only publishing Ohio's open government laws, but a companion Sunshine Laws Manual - and making both available online.

• Advertiser-Tribune - Online, public accountability is ultimate goal

  Every day, the federal government releases vast amounts of useful information about every aspect of our nation and how government works. This public information has a deep impact on almost every aspect of American life. Some of it can be used to hold our elected officials accountable for their actions, or have a profound effect on health, economic development and commerce.

• Coshocton Tribune - It's time to create online, public accountability for government

  Every day, the federal government releases vast amounts of useful information about every aspect of our nation and how government works. This public information has a deep impact on almost every aspect of American life. Some of it can be used to hold our elected officials accountable for their actions, or have a profound effect on health, economic development and commerce. The problem is, much of this government information is too often hard to find, difficult to understand, expensive to obtain in useful formats and available in only a few locations.

• Roll Call - K Street Files: Banking Backlash

  The U.S. Chamber of Commerce is ginning up support among its big-business members to lobby against several measures in Senate Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs Chairman Chris Dodd’s (D-Conn.) recently introduced financial regulatory reform bill.

• The Hindu - Helping others help

  eBay founder Pierre Omidyar started Omidyar Network with the aim of enabling organisations, both for-profit and not-for-profit, generate social impact through philanthropic activity. Now, the company has started its India operations, with its national headquarters in Mumbai, becoming, as it claims, the first philanthropic investment firm in the country.

• The Huffington Post - Help Us Liberate Government Records During Sunshine Week

  As part of Sunshine Week, March 14-20, The Center for Public Integrity and the Sunlight Foundation are looking for help with The Data Mine, a new online series identifying inaccessible or difficult to use information from the federal government.

• MSNBC - A Call for Government Transparency

  Ellen Miller, the executive director of the Sunlight Foundation, on MSNBC's Morning Meeting with Dylan Ratigan to discuss the recent Public Online Information Act alongside Rep. Steve Israel:

• CSPAN - Senator Inouye quotes the Sunlight Foundation on the Senate floor

  Senator Daniel Inouye made a statement against an amendment to eliminate earmarks on the floor of the Senate and quoted the Sunlight Foundation's editorial director, Bill Allison.

• Capitol News Connection - Redefining “Freedom of Information” in the 21st Century

  Today Rep. Steve Israel, D-N.Y., will introduce the Public Online Information Act. Sunlight Foundation Executive Director Ellen Miller says the bill reflects a new formula for transparency: public equal online.

• The Huffington Post - Is Senator Graham Looking for an Excuse to Bail on Climate Legislation?

  Kate Sheppard asks if the passage of health care legislation will hurt or hinder progress on climate legislation. But the underlying question is whether or not Senator Graham is looking for an excuse to bail on climate negotiations. The answer to that question might just be yes. His rhetoric hints at the possibility, and he's willing to distort the truth about reconciliation without hesitation while huffing and puffing that it leaves him no choice but to bail on unrelated legislation. If Senator Graham does end up using the passage of health care reform as an excuse to give up on climate talks, his lack of integrity will be readily apparent for all to witness.

• The Desert Sun - Government information should be online and free

  Every day, the federal government releases vast amounts of useful information about every aspect of our nation and how government works. This public information has a deep impact on almost every aspect of American life. Some of it can be used to hold our elected officials accountable for their actions or have a profound effect on health, economic development and commerce. The problem is, much of this government information is too often hard to find, difficult to understand, expensive to obtain in useful formats, and available in only a few locations.

• The Washington Post - Obama weighs in on 'Sunshine Week'

  It's Sunshine Week, an annual attempt by good government groups and news organizations to promote better access to government information. The week started with a critical report suggesting the Obama administration's first year of efforts to improve access to government information have yielded mixed results.

• NextGov - Bill would require agencies to post public documents online

  A House member unveiled a bill on Tuesday that would redefine executive branch public information as content that is available on the Internet and searchable, requiring agencies to post all future public records online within three years.

• The Hill - ‘Sunshine Week’ highlights transparency

  Democrats and Republicans have tangled over whether efforts to pass healthcare reform are benefiting from backdoor deals and questionable parliamentary maneuvering. On Tuesday, however, there was some indication of a growing bipartisan consensus for the need to increase government transparency and openness, as Sunshine Week dawned on Washington.

• The Hill - Fixing Washington: The Public Online Information Act

  The deal is to tell us what's really going on, how things work, where the money goes. A lot of documents reveal that, but if they're on paper only, they might as well not exist. This new proposed law would require that all executive-branch government stuff be online and searchable. (It's a start.)

• The Huffington Post - "Dotcom" Turns 25: My Predictions for What Comes Next

  Yesterday marked the 25th anniversary of the Internet designation ".com." To commemorate the occasion, VeriSign is hosting a conference today in Washington. I'm taking part, along with Bill Clinton, Fareed Zakaria, Aneesh Chopra, Mo Rocca, Fred Wilson, Kara Swisher and many others.

• The Daily Caller - Why an earmark ban won’t stop the pork

  The ever amazing Sunlight Foundation argues for comprehensive earmark reform instead of the ban:

• The St. Joseph News-Press - Our opinion: Openness requires access

  Unless you are among the handful of folks living “off the grid,” government is a big part of your life. You pay taxes, rely on government to keep the peace and ensure the safety of what you eat, and tolerate everything from Census questionnaires to airport screenings.

• The Huffington Post - Happy 25th Birthday, dot.com!

  Technology moves so fast that history, too often, gets buried in the digital dustbin. Was it just last month that Facebook celebrated its 6th birthday? Just a few days ago that Twitter marked its 10 billionth tweet?

• The Buffalo News - Douglas Turner: President has made a mess of health reform

  WASHINGTON — A year ago President Obama strolled confidently into the garden of good and evil, bit deeply into the apple and created the mess he and congressional Democrats are in now concerning health insurance reform.

• InformationWeek - GAO Faults Federal Spending Site

  The government needs to do a better job tracking contracts and grant awards on USAspending.gov, its primary federal spending transparency Website, according to a report from the Government Accountability Office, the government's internal auditing agency.

• NextGov - Audit blames OMB's lack of guidance for shoddy contracting data

  The Office of Management and Budget has improved the transparency of federal spending but has limited tools to improve data quality and mandate agency compliance, according to observers.

• The Hill - The Big Question: Should Republicans back financial reform?

  Some of the nation's top political commentators, legislators and intellectuals offer their insight into the biggest news burning up the blogosphere today.


• The Week - Will health care pass this week?

  Best Opinion: OpenCongress, Milton Wolf, Time Confident Dems are claiming they'll get the votes to pass their health care reform bill, with White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs going so far as to say it will be "the law of the land" by next Sunday. Meanwhile, Republican leaders are promising to do "everything" in their power to make passage "difficult" or even "impossible." Which side is doing the most blustering? (Watch THE WEEK's Sunday Talk Show Briefing on health care's chances of passing)

• Baxter Bulletin - Government needs online accountability

  Every day, the federal government releases vast amounts of useful information about every aspect of our nation and how government works. This public information has a deep impact on almost every aspect of American life. Some of it can be used to hold our elected officials accountable for their actions, or have a profound effect on health, economic development and commerce. The problem is, much of this government information is too often hard to find, difficult to understand, expensive to obtain in useful formats, and available in only a few locations.

• Nashua Telegraph - Unlocking data in Washington

  During the presidential campaign of 2008, it was not usual for then-candidate Barack Obama to talk about transparency and the importance of open government. So it shouldn’t have come as much of a surprise that on his first full day in office, the president issued a memorandum to the heads of all executive departments restoring the original presumption of disclosure under the Freedom of Information Act, a reversal from the previous administration.

• The Plain Dealer - Sunshine Week is good time to remember that a democratic government needs to open its records and proceedings to the people in whose name it exists: editorial

  The start of the decennial census, noted elsewhere on this page, is a reminder that governments collect a lot of information about almost every aspect of American life -- from basic demographics and health data to details about foreign trade and the activities of lobbyists. Some of this information is proprietary; others of it bear on the national security and can't be widely shared.

• Asheville Citizen-Times - Ah, spring; sunshine, statistics, and a whole new ballgame

  Spring draws nigh. This year, one thing is certain: We'll feel like we earned it, after the beating we took this winter.

• The Bemidji Pioneer - Pioneer Guest Editorial: Open government records to Internet

  Every day, the federal government releases vast amounts of useful information about every aspect of our nation and how government works. This public information has a deep impact on almost every aspect of American life. Some of it can be used to hold our elected officials accountable for their actions, or have a profound effect on health, economic development and commerce. The problem is, much of this government information is too often hard to find, difficult to understand, expensive to obtain in useful formats, and available in only a few locations.

• The Desert Sun - Openness in government is crucial to our nation's future

  This week is Sunshine Week, dedicated to freedom of expression, open meetings, open records and transparency in how the government spends your money. The Desert Sun will take a long look at the campaign for openness today and share the views of others throughout the week.

• Nashua Telegraph - Information is not truly public until it is on the Internet

  Every day, the federal government releases vast amounts of useful information about every aspect of our nation and how government works. This public information has a deep impact on almost every aspect of American life. Some of it can be used to hold our elected officials accountable for their actions, or have a profound effect on health, economic development and commerce.

• Evansville Courier & Press - Internet has changed expectations of open government

  (Editor's note: The following commentary is from the Sunlight Foundation, and was provided by the American Society of Newspaper Editors in recognition of Sunshine Week, which begins today. The week recognizes the need for a free and open press.)

• Arizona Central - Where to get information online on your lawmaker

  It doesn't take a trip to Washington to get to know your lawmaker. Here are 10 things you can learn online:

• Democrat and Chronicle - Freedom of Information Act creates more open government

  Why is the federal Freedom of Information Act important? It allows people to request information — printed and electronic documents and communications, including cell phone text messages and e-mails — from the United States government. Anyone, including citizens and foreign nationals, as well as interest groups and associations, can file a FOIA request. Each state also has its own open records laws.

• The Arizona Republic - Barack Obama brings records access, yet obstacles remain

  WASHINGTON — At a time when the Obama administration is struggling to advance major policy initiatives on health care, energy and banking, it is getting high marks for progress in one area: government transparency.

• The Reporter - Let the sun shine

  EDITOR'S NOTE: Sunshine Week, which begins today, is a national initiative to open a dialogue about the importance of open government and freedom of information. Participants include print, broadcast and online news media, civic groups, libraries, nonprofits, schools and others interested in the public's right to know. Sunshine Week is led by the American Society of News Editors.

• The Star Press - Public data should mean online data

  Every day, the federal government releases vast amounts of useful information about every aspect of our nation and how government works. This public information has a deep impact on almost every part of American life. Some of it can be used to hold our elected officials accountable for their actions, or have a profound effect on health, economic development and commerce.

• National Journal - K Street Paradox

  At last month's White House health care summit, John McCain accused his 2008 presidential rival of cutting a shady deal to get a reform bill passed.

• The Portales News-Tribune - Public has right to information

  Every day, the federal government releases vast amounts of useful information about every aspect of our nation and how government works.

• Boise Weekly - New Mexico // Wash DC poster

  just rolled in to the village of Mesilla, NM (right next to Las Cruces)... really cute little downtown plaza... looks literally like "new mexico". small streets. plaza. we're playing at a good sized cantina called El Patio tonight with locals Alister M and our tour buddy Boy Eats Drum Machine. nice and warm out. love it.

• Star-Gazette - Your guide to public records

  WHAT FOIL CAN DO FOR YOU Here are some examples of ways citizens can use Freedom of Information Law to obtain information to assist you in your daily life.* Challenge your property assessment: Use FOIL to obtain information on assessments on any and all properties in your community to determine if it's worth challenging your assessment to try to reduce your tax bills.*

• The Day - How Pfizer CEO Jeffrey Kindler earned his $14.9 million

  I think one of the more curious parts of Pfizer CEO Jeffrey Kindler's $14.9 million 2009 pay package, the subject of much chatter this week on the Pharma blogs, is the $10,000 he got for financial consulting services, presumably to help figure out the best way to sock away all that money.

• Arkansas Times - Clean air, dirty hands

  Environmental and good government groups continue to probe relationships that help explain lawmakers' positions on important legislation.

• Kansas Reporter - KDOT looks at Amtrak expansion

  TOPEKA, Kan. - The Kansas House voted 115 to five Thursday to give Kansas Secretary of Transportation Deb Miller the ability to prepare for expanded rail service in the state. That same day, Amtrak released a study concerning the feasibility of such passenger rail service, which was presented to the House Transportation committee.

• Gannett News Service - Obama gets high marks for transparency push

  At a time when the Obama administration is struggling to move forward with major policy initiatives affecting health care, energy and banking, it is getting high marks for progress in one area: government transparency. Watchdog groups applaud President Obama for using the bully pulpit to demand that government be more open, an effort the White House calls "Government 2.0."

• Arkansas Times - Friends of Mike

  WASHINGTON — Arkansas members of Congress, especially Rep. Mike Ross, continue to benefit from fund-raisers where corporate lobbyists are either the hosts or main guests, according to listings posted by the Sunlight Foundation, a watchdog group.

• Roll Call - Earmark Advocates Skeptical of Ban

  Just days after House Democrats and Republicans began floating the idea of a one-year moratorium on earmarks, K Streeters seem convinced that there is no appetite in Congress to shut off the spigot for lawmakers’ pet projects.

• Federal News Radio - Clay Johnson of the Sunlight Foundation Mentioned

  A mention on Federal News Radio of "Clay Johnson over at the Sunlight Foundation."

• Russia Today - Crossing the Line

  Russia Today had the Sunlight Foundation's engagement director, Jake Brewer, on their Alyona Show a week or so back, and soon we'll have the cropped clip to enjoy via our YouTube channel:

• Politico - Where Real Business Occurs

  For all the digital networking you can accomplish right on your BlackBerry, nothing compares to meeting in person — especially in Washington. And that may just explain the growing popularity of happy hours dubbed “Hack and Flack,” which bring together reporters and spokespersons.

• Centre Daily Times - Site tracks big spenders

  What’s it cost to run a congressional office these days? Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., racked up $1.5 million in expenses over the past year in running her office. The House minority leader, John Boehner, R-Ohio, spent about $1.2 million.

• Victoria Advocate - Con: Having an official language would push back progress

  Rosie Gonzales, of Refugio, grew up learning Spanish at home and English at school, but believes adopting a bill that would make English the official language could bring animosity toward immigrants.

• News & Record - Richard Burr on the Party Blog

  The Sunlight Foundation's "Party Blog" features Sen. Richard Burr, a Winston-Salem Republican running for re-election, in a recent entry.

• The New York Times - Massa Says Health Care Stand Contributed to His Resignation

  Representative Eric Massa, Democrat of New York, who is resigning from Congress amid allegations that he sexually harassed a staff member, now says he believes that House Democratic leaders wanted to force him out of office because he voted against the Democrats’ health care legislation.

• The Huffington Post - Sen. Richard Burr: Playing Politics in Right Field

  The North Carolina Democratic Party is taking Senator Richard Burr to task on his right-wing, anti-jobs agenda in a new video released this morning. The video challenges Burr for skipping a crucial vote on the jobs bill to attend a campaign fundraising, siding with Jim Bunning while voting against unemployment benefits, and promising voters that...

• NextGov - All About Apps

  Many in government consider the phrase killer apps to be an oxymoron. Federal software typically comes with an extensive list of requirements and takes years to write. By the time applications reach the end user, the technology often is old news. That's why White House officials have spent the past year emphasizing that government must become more nimble and creative in its development approach.

• Bristol Herald Courier - Boucher’s $140,000 franked mail tab in 2009 was the seventh-highest in House

  A new public radio station. A cultural heritage center for Bristol’s Birthplace of Country Music. A veterans cemetery that would be the first in Southwest Virginia. U.S. Rep. Rick Boucher has made all of those projects possible by securing $10 million in federal money, and he wants his constituents to know.

• Rails Podcast - Luigi Montanez of Sunlight Labs

  A developer from Sunlight Labs talks about using Ruby to deliver open government data in the United States.

• The Washington Times - GOP fundraising invite may violate rules

  A Republican fundraising invitation circulated last week includes a decorative seal that some say could be a violation of Senate ethics rules. The National Republican Senatorial Committee's invitation to an "Armed Services Industry Roundtable" with Sens. Saxby Chambliss of Georgia and John Thune of South Dakota included the committee's seal, a round symbol that includes an eagle clutching an olive branch and arrows.

• The Guardian - More on actual reconciliation history

  Paul Blumenthal of the Sunlight Foundation has produced a useful piece of work, tracking the actual history of the "controversial" and "little-used" reconciliation process.

• Times-Argus - Reconciliation: Its use and history

  As Democrats move forward to pass health care reform, attention has focused on a key piece of Senate rules known as budget reconciliation. Since 1990, the Senate has used reconciliation to pass 13 key pieces of legislation. Ten of the efforts were pushed by the Republican party; three uses of reconciliation were by Democrats. More often than not, the votes fall along party lines, but in a few cases the reconciliation vote has either garnered wide bi-partisan support or exposed ideological rifts within the minority party.

• PBS - Online Health Care Reform Tools

  Critics called the President's bi-partisan summit on health care "political theater," a "charade" and an opportunity for partisan grand-standing. The same could be said for the media coverage of the summit — with the usual suspects lining up in favor or opposed to the proposals and the dialogue. But one group's innovative live coverage of the summit is being called "a game changer" by media watchers.

• The Washington Times - Treasury fails on transparency rules

  In one of his first official acts as Treasury secretary, Timothy F. Geithner promised to make sure the public knew what lobbyists were up to when contacting his department about the bailout of troubled financial institutions. But by one important measure, the lobbyists appear to be the more transparent.

• Politico - White House says access is not Smoot's point

  To the big donors who financed President Barack Obama’s 2008 campaign, the decision to make his chief fundraiser the gatekeeper for White House social events is a promise of access to come. To good government groups, it’s a cue to start checking on who’s sleeping in the Lincoln Bedroom.

• Manitowoc Herald Times Reporter - Feingold, Kohl: Abuses, not rules, thwart progress

  WASHINGTON — Hall of Fame baseball pitcher Jim Bunning has ended his solo blockade of legislation to extend several federal programs set to expire, but the Kentucky GOP senator's tactic reignited a longstanding debate over Senate rules. Reform advocates say it is unconscionable that one lawmaker can impede progress on legislation that affects millions by using Bunning's tactic of a filibuster or the "hold," a senator's request that leadership delay action on a matter.

• Appleton Post-Crescent - Kentucky Sen. Jim Bunning's stand calls Senate rules, senators' actions into question

  WASHINGTON — Kentucky Sen. Jim Bunning has ended his solo blockade of legislation to extend several federal programs set to expire, but the Republican lawmaker’s tactic reignited a longstanding debate over Senate rules.

• Fond du Lac Reporter - Senators Russ Feingold, Herb Kohl bash rule abuse in Senate, triggered by actions of Kentucky Sen. Jim Bunning

  WASHINGTON — Hall of Fame baseball pitcher Jim Bunning has ended his solo blockade of legislation to extend several federal programs set to expire, but the Kentucky GOP senator's tactic reignited a longstanding debate over Senate rules.

• The Washington Post - Reconciliation and partisanship -- in graph form

  The Sunlight Foundation released a great graphic this morning showing the partisan breakdown of recent reconciliation votes. It's a bit big to repost here, but take a look for yourself. Contrary to what some Republicans are saying, those blue and red bars don't overlap very often. But it's interesting to note that they overlapped a lot more frequently in the Clinton years than in the Bush years.

• Chronicle of Philanthropy - The Problems Caused by Americans' Lack of Understanding of Grant Makers, and More: Thursday's Roundup

  Foundations should be concerned by a recent survey that showed even the best-informed Americans still have little understanding of what grant makers do, says Joel Orosz, a professor of philanthropic studies at Grand Valley State University. His views appear on the Center for Effective Philanthropy's blog.

• The Baltimore Sun - Guess Who's Coming to Dinner with Cardin?

  Sen. Ben Cardin of Maryland is listed as one of five hosts at Tuesday evening's fund-raising dinner at the Washington estate of Sen. John D. Rockefeller IV.

• The Washington Post - Casualties of the reconciliation process

  All hail OpenCongress.org, which has produced a list of the provisions that have been struck from reconciliation bills over the years. It should give you a sense of why it would be difficult to run the whole health-care reform bill through reconciliation, as opposed to the few tweaks and fixes that the Democrats actually plan to pass through the process.

• The Huffington Post - Profiting From Recession, Payday Lenders Spend Big To Fight Regulation

  The influential $42 billion-a-year payday lending industry, thriving from a surge in emergency loans to people struggling through the recession, is pouring record sums into lobbying, campaign contributions, and public relations - and getting results. As the Senate prepares to take up financial reform, lobbyists are working to exempt companies that make short-term cash loans from proposed new federal regulations and policing. In state capitals around the country, payday companies have been fighting some 100 pieces of legislation aimed at safeguarding borrowers from high interest rates and from falling into excessive debt.

• Mediaite - Is Sunlight Foundation’s Health Care Summit Coverage a Gamechanger?

  While many people were yawning their way through the news networks’ coverage of the White House’s Health Care Summit, a government transparency advocacy group turned the event on its head and used social media and streaming technology to possibly become the next C-SPAN, PolitiFact or Nate Silver’s FiveThirtyEight.com.

• Politics Daily - Watchdogs: From Medicare Waste to Dirty Money, Helping Readers See the Connections

  The Senate Subcommittee on Federal Financial Management, Government Information, Federal Services, and International Security . . . Yes, there's still some of the world they don't cover.

• Arkansas Times - Speaking of Blanche Lincoln

  Paul Barton has an interesting report on how Sen. Lincoln is mining Texas for campaign cash. Democrats there are throwing money into a losing cause by backing Democrats there, apparently, so they've looked elsewhere. Barton's report also reports Lincoln's first report of "bundled" PAC contributions -- Wal-Mart and hedge funds have packaged chunks of cash for her.

• Government Executive - ANALYSIS: Managing Technology Powering Down

  Many in government consider the phrase killer apps to be an oxymoron. Federal software typically comes with an extensive list of requirements and takes years to write. By the time applications reach the end user, the technology often is old news. That's why White House officials have spent the past year emphasizing that government must become more nimble and creative in its development approach.