2Day in #OpenGov 9/21/2011

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Policy Fellow Matt Rumsey wrote this post.

Celebrate the week’s halfway point with Wednesday’s  look at transparency-related news items, congressional committee hearings, transparency-related bills introduced in Congress, and transparency-related events.

News Roundup:

Revolving Door

  • The Hill has a roundup of recent moves. Notably, Dutko Grayling has hired Joanne Zurcher, a former aid to Carolyn McCarthy (D-NY), and Jeff Anders, who worked for the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions before becoming a lobbyist for PhRMA. (The Hill)
  • Tom Strickland, former chief of staff to Interior Secretary Ken Salazar, who was intimately involved with the Deepwater Horizon spill, will join WilmerHale, a firm defending BP. Strickland claims that his work will not involve BP. (National Journal)

Campaign Finance

  • Representatives John Conyers (D-MI) and Donna Edwards (D-MD) have proposed legislation that would effectively overturn the Citizens United decision. The measure would amend the constitution and permit Congress and the states to limit corporate political spending. (The Hill)
  • Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) has donated $5 million to her campaign. The donation comes after revelations that a former campaign treasurer to Feinstein and many other California Democrats had committed massive acts of fraud. (Politico)
Lobbying
  • After finding themselves closely linked with the President Obama, Google has been working hard to build ties with the Republican party. Meanwhile, in a sign that neither party trusts them too far, Google faces the Senate Judiciary Committee antitrust subcommittee today. (Politico)
Government
  • The Project on Government Oversight is enthusiastic about President Obama’s Open Government Partnership speech and the new U.S. National Plan on Transparency. The plan utilizes many of POGO’s suggestions. (POGO)
  • The Energy Department’s home weatherization program has been rife with waste, fraud, and abuse according to the department’s Inspector General. (Yahoo/Daily Caller)
Ethics
  • The House Oversight and Government Reform Committee will be investigating wireless start up LightSquared. The investigation is a response to allegations that LightSquared used donations to the Democratic Party in a concerted effort to influence the White House. (Yahoo/Daily Caller)
  • Watchdog group Citizens For Responsibility and Ethics in Washington have released their 7th annual report on the “most corrupt” members of congress. The group hopes the report will bring focus to the highly politicized ethics enforcement process. (The Hill)
State and Local
  • Chicago has launched City Hall in Your Community, a new website that tracks the movements of Mayor Rahm Emanuel. Users can view pictures of the mayor and find information about why he was visiting specific sites. (GovTech)

Relevant committee hearings scheduled for 9/21:

House

  • Education and the Workforce. Education System Accountability. 2175 RHOB. 10:00am. Early Childhood, Elementary, and Secondary Education Subcommittee hearing.
  • Oversight and Government Reform. Medicaid Eligibility Rules Abuses. 2247 RHOB. 10:00am. Health Care, District of Columbia, Census, and the National Archives Subcommittee.
  • Oversight and Government Reform. Pending Business. 2154 RHOB. 10:00am. Technology, Information Policy, Intergovernmental Relations, and Procurement Reform Subcommittee markup of pending business.
  • Oversight and Government Reform. Pending Business. 2154 RHOB. 1:30pm. Federal Workforce, U.S. Postal SErvice, and Labor Policy Subcommittee markup of pending business.
  • Budget. Broken Budget Process. 210 CHOB. 9/21, 10:00am. Full Committee Hearing.
  • Small Business. Obama Administration Federal Rule Review Oversight. 2360 RHOB. 1:00pm. Full Committee Hearing.
  • Ways and means. Scoring Tax Reform Legislation. 1100 LHOB. 10:00am. Full Committee Hearing.
Senate
  • Judiciary. Google Competition Policy. 226 DSOB. 2:00pm. Antitrust, Competition Policy, and Consumer Rights Subcommittee hearing.

Relevant bills introduced:

  • None

Transparency events scheduled for 9/21:

  •  None

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