Here are Friday’s transparency-related news items, congressional committee hearings, transparency-related bills introduced in Congress, and transparency-related events.

News Roundup:

Government

• The federal government plans to close more than forty percent of its data centers by 2015. (ExecutiveGov)
• Design has played an important factor in the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s efforts to enhance open government.. (GovFresh)
• One of Rep. Darrell Issa’s top staffers on the House Oversight Committee maintains a “financial relationship” with a lobbying firm. (ThinkProgress)

Ethics

• The House of Representatives defeated an amendment to slash funding for the Office of Congressional Ethics, but over one hundred representatives voted for it. (Sunlight Blog)
• A former whistleblower comments on his experience and what he has learned about the nature of whistleblowers in the finance industry. (Forbes)

Campaign Finance

• The Department of Justice’s case against two unregistered Pakistani agents demonstrates the presence of foreign money in our elections. (POGO)
• Opinion: Former Louisiana Gov. Buddy Roemer argues that campaign finance reform is an urgent matter that must be addressed. (Boston Review)

Lobbying

• Wall Street’s seven biggest banks have spent a combined $20 million on lobbying the federal government this year. (OpenSecrets)
• Narrow issues often involve the highest amounts spent on lobbying the federal government. (Roll Call)
• Both Google and Facebook spent record amounts of money on lobbying last quarter. (Tech Crunch)
• Opinion: The airline industry’s stated commitment to reducing its environmental impact has been negated by its lobbyists’ fight to cripple environmental regulations. (Reuters)

Technology

• Stateline released an evaluation of how many of the nation’s governors are taking advantage of social media tools. (Stateline)

State and Local

• Pennsylvania prosecutors are investigating whether a private email chain conducted through smartphones during a public meeting should have been on the public record. (techPresident)
• County officials in Martin County, Florida said that hiring a lobbyist is necessary for procuring federal funding. (Dredging Today)
• Opinion: The next mayor of San Francisco must be committed to open government. (HuffPost)
• Opinion: Ohio Gov. Kasich signing a bill to cap fines for destroying public records could keep “controversial public records in the dark.” (Sunlight Blog)
• Opinion: California’s move to shut down its Recovery Act website is not good for transparency. (Clawback)

Relevant committee hearings scheduled for 7/22:

• None

Relevant bills introduced:

• None

Transparency events scheduled for 7/22:

• None