- The Hill - More access to committees
The work of congressional committees, the vital organs of Congress, remains difficult for citizens to access, despite their central public role in developing policies that guide this nation. Their centrality to the legislative process may be generally underappreciated because of a lack of meaningful public access. To address this, committees should post their proceedings and documents online to highlight their work and their central function to the work of Congress.
- The Hill - Inexplicable anomaly
One special talent of Congress is to sternly slam the barn door closed after the animals have already wandered off. We can see this in the debate over whether to “open up” Congressional Research Service (CRS) reports to the public when there are already fee-based services selling the reports, and free but incomplete collections at various websites.
- National Journal Technology Daily - GOP Silence Frustrates Online Activists
Online activists from conservative and nonpartisan organizations and blogs are getting frustrated as they push Republican lawmakers for more transparency.
- The Hill - Coalition pushes for Web 2.0 on Capitol Hill
A bipartisan coalition of nonprofits, watchdogs and bloggers are calling on the House to go Web 2.0.
The Open House Project, led by the Sunlight Foundation, one of Washington's newest transparency advocates, released a report yesterday to push Congress to update its antiquated use of the Internet and open its doors a little wider to the public.
- Roll Call - Open Congress
E-mail, THOMAS, electronic filing of campaign and lobbying reports and Web sites maintained by Members and Congressional committees all have transformed the way the public learns about and interacts with Congress, but a series of new recommendations were issued this week to improve the process.
- The Washington Examiner - New report describes practical steps to open the House
A new relationship is developing between Congress and its constituents. As the Internet transforms Web users into politically savvy watchdogs, Congress has an opportunity to earn the public's trust.
- The Hill - No light in basement
Is Rep. Darrell Issa's (R-Calif.) net worth $136 million, or is it closer to $678 million? How much did Nissan pay last year for lobbying on fuel economy standards? And what exactly did aides to Reps. Michael Capuano (D-Mass.) and Joe Barton (R-Texas) learn on their "official business" trip to Microsoft's Xbox launch in November 2005? The answer to all these questions is ... nobody knows. At least you don't know if you're relying on disclosure reports filed on paper with the clerk of the House.
- Marketplace - Campaigns make bottom-line adjustments, too
Political campaigns aren't much different from Wall Street corporations. They, too, like to pad their numbers at the end of a reporting season to show strength and growth.
- Roll Call - A Bill, a ‘Hold’ and a (Possibly) Lying Senator
If you're wondering what has become of the Senate's effort to bring up an ostensibly noncontroversial campaign finance bill, it's best to remember that if you ask Senators no questions, they'll tell you no lies.
- The Winston-Salem Journal - Open Up
Sometimes when politicians take campaign contributions, they prefer that the public doesn't hear about them right away. For their purposes, especially with controversial contributors, it is better if the news breaks after Election Day.
- The Hill - Give bloggers Capitol access
According to the Sunlight Foundation’s Open House Project, a collaborative and bipartisan effort to increase the House of Representatives’ online transparency, Congress can take several simple steps to improve transparency and foster a new spirit of openness. Giving bloggers credentials to cover Congress would be a groundbreaking way to shed light on the inner workings of government.
- The Louisville Courier-Journal - Shhhh. Money at work
Last week in the U.S. Senate, Kentucky looked double ugly.
Mitch McConnell and Jim Bunning combined efforts to block passage, by unanimous consent, of S.223, which would promote up-front politics by requiring that senators file their campaign finance reports electronically. That way voters could get the information they need more quickly and more easily.