Sunlight Foundation Press Release Archive
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Recent Press Releases
May 21, 2012 —
WASHINGTON, DC – The U.S. Congress speaks at nearly a full grade level lower than it did seven years ago, according to a new Sunlight Foundation analysis. Using the CapitolWords.org website -- which features the most popular words and phrases in the Congressional Record since 1996 -- Sunlight reviewed the vocabulary and sentence structure of what members of Congress are saying.
Today’s Congress speaks at about a 10.6 grade level, down from a high of 11.5 in 2005. By comparison, the U.S. Constitution is written at a 17.8 grade level, the Federalist Papers at a 17.1 grade level and the Declaration of Independence at a 15.1 grade level. The Flesch-Kincaid test was used to conduct the analysis, which equates higher-grade levels with longer words and longer sentences.
May 3, 2012 —
Additional media contacts
Latin American Network on Legislative Transparency: Pablo Secchi, psecchi@directoriolegislativo.org, +54 (11) 5218 4647
National Democratic Institute: Kathy Gest, kgest@ndi.org, 202-728-5535
Washington, DC — For the first time, a broad and diverse gathering of civil society representatives from 37 countries convened in Washington this week and established a shared commitment to advocate for strong, open parliaments that embody citizens' voices.
The conference, which ran from April 30 to May 2, provided an opportunity for parliamentary monitoring organizations (PMOs) from all regions of the world to share their experiences and good practices on a host of topics, from monitoring political finance to advocating for greater transparency of parliamentary information. The conference was co-hosted by the Latin American Network for Legislative Transparency, the National Democratic Institute (NDI) and the Sunlight Foundation.
April 25, 2012 —
Today, the U.S. House of Representatives voted yes on the Digital Accountability and Transparency Act (DATA Act). The Sunlight Foundation issued the follow statement on the bill’s passage:
April 20, 2012 —
WASHINGTON, DC – Next weekend, nearly 400 open government supporters will participate in the Sunlight Foundation’s TransparencyCamp on April 28 and 29 at George Mason University in Arlington, VA. This “unconference” brings together government officials, technologists, journalists and grassroots advocates to share best practices on the ways new technologies and effective policies can make our government really work for the people.
April 3, 2012 —
WASHINGTON, DC – In economically uncertain times, choosing where to live can be a tough decision. But Upwardly Mobile, a new app from the Sunlight Foundation, can help. Using a person’s career information and living preferences, the free app ranks the best places to live by comparing salary, living and employment data. There’s also an option to browse individual cities and compare them to national averages. Upwardly Mobile, funded by the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, showcases how public government data can be used to help Americans in their everyday lives.
Upwardly Mobile tailors economic data for each individual user so he or she can see where in the country one can enjoy financial security and a good quality of life. After completing a brief survey about where the user currently lives, career information and cost-of-living importance, the app calculates the results.
March 13, 2012 —
CAMPAIGN FINANCE INSTITUTE
CAMPAIGN LEGAL CENTER
CENTER FOR RESPONSIVE POLITICS
COMMON CAUSE
DEMOCRACY 21
LEAGUE OF WOMEN VOTERS OF THE UNITED STATES
PUBLIC CITIZEN
SUNLIGHT FOUNDATION
U.S. PIRG
Washington, DC - Nine government watchdog organizations today asked Republican presidential candidates Mitt Romney, Rick Santorum, Ron Paul and Newt Gingrich, as well as President Barack Obama, to reveal more details about fundraisers for their presidential campaigns who "bundle" contributions in amounts greatly exceeding what they're permitted to contribute on their own.
March 13, 2012 —
This Sunshine Week, as the nation commemorates the importance of open government and freedom of information, the Sunlight Foundation is leading a campaign to engage voters to call on their lawmakers and the Obama administration to address the disastrous effects of the game-changing rulings by the Supreme Court in Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission (FEC) and a federal district court in SpeechNow.org v. FEC. These rulings paved the way the rise of super PACs and for a small group of elites to spend unprecedented sums—with little or no transparency—to influence voters.
March 12, 2012 —
WASHINGTON, DC – A new mobile app from the Sunlight Foundation brings the inner-workings of the state legislature to your phone with Open States. Whether your Capitol is just across town, over the river or 500 miles down the highway, lawmakers are working every day to represent you and your interests.
Designed for both the iPhone and iPad, the free Open States app provides up-to-date information on legislation being considered and how to contact legislators, campaign finance and voting records, plus news happening in your state. The app launches with legislative data from all 50 states, plus the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico. Open States is available for download in the App Store.
February 24, 2012 —
This is the first presidential election since game-changing rulings by the Supreme Court in Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission (FEC) and a federal district court in SpeechNow.org v. FEC paved the way for a small group of elites to spend unprecedented sums—with little or no transparency—to influence voters. Since then, outside groups often called “super PACs” have proliferated, stimulating new ways for big donors to influence elections—often in secret.
February 9, 2012 —
The Sunlight Foundation released the following upon this afternoon announcement by House Democratic Leadership, who are re-introducing the DISCLOSE Act. Sunlight Foundation Co-founder and Executive Director Ellen Miller said:
January 26, 2012 —
WASHINGTON, DC – A new analysis prepared by the Sunlight Foundation shows that wealthy financial sector donors gave $178.2 million in political contributions in 2010, more than ten times what they gave 20 years ago. More than any other industry, individuals from the finance, insurance and real estate (FIRE) sector, particularly those in securities and investments, are the key drivers of the overall growth of elite donors, or what Sunlight calls The Political One Percent of the One Percent.
January 18, 2012 —
The funding of American politics is entering a new era—the likes we have never seen before. How did we get here? Two years ago this week, the Supreme Court paved the way for a radical change in how political campaigns operate, opening the door to an unfettered, unregulated influx of money into elections from corporations, labor unions and wealthy individuals.
January 17, 2012 —
WASHINGTON, DC — When the House of Representatives heads back to work on Tuesday, offices will be slightly leaner than they were a year ago. As Congress tightens its budgetary belt, it’s having a direct effect on office staffing and technology, according to new analysis from the Sunlight Foundation.
In January 2011, the House voted 410-13 to slash its operating budget by 5% (or $35 million), and Sunlight’s analysis of House disbursement data shows some immediate effects: a loss of 1,000 staff positions, and major cutbacks in computers and office supplies. With House offices facing another 5.2% percent cut (6.4 % for committees) for FY 2012, more cuts in both staff and salaries can be expected as personnel compensation accounts for more than half of all House expenditures.
January 13, 2012 —
The Advisory Committee on Transparency (ACT), a project of the Sunlight Foundation, will host a panel discussion on the role of super PACs in the 2012 election on Monday, January 23. The event is the first of eight ACT is hosting throughout the year that will address important and wide-ranging transparency policy issues with those in Congress, think tanks, the media and other experts.
December 12, 2011 —
WASHINGTON, DC – The Sunlight Foundation today announced Kathy Kiely as the new Managing Editor of its award-winning team of journalists, the Sunlight Foundation Reporting Group. She will be responsible for overseeing Sunlight’s daily and long-term investigative journalism projects on money in politics, government transparency and corporate accountability, and will oversee the production of content, journalist trainings, databases and multimedia projects.
