2Day in #OpenGov 5/14/2012

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NEWS ROUNDUP

Government

  • FEC legislates: The FEC unanimously approved five legislative recommendations. Proposed changes include e-filing of Senate campaign finance reports and an extension of a ban on personal use of political committee funds. (Lobby Comply)
  • Owens pays his way: Rep. Bill Owens (D-NY) announced that he would reimburse a Taiwan university more than $22,000 for a trip that he took to the Island with his wife last December. The announcement comes on the heels of revelations that the trip was organized by a lobbying firm. (Politico)
  • Climate.gov cuts: Climate.gov, one of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Gov 2.0 efforts, is facing extinction after the house voted to cut its funding. (Federal Computer Week)

State and Local

  • Fourth time’s not a charm: Legislators in Vermont killed an attempt to reform the state’s campaign finance law for the fourth year in a row. (State Integrity)
  • Citizens help city website: A group of volunteer citizen advisers dedicated themselves to improving Palo Alto, California’s archaic web portal. The volunteers spent four years developing and helping to implement more than 70 recommendations. The site is in beta and scheduled to launch in July. (Government Technology)

International

  • Transparency threatened in the EU: The EU is moving closer to adopting broad exceptions to existing access to information rules. (Access-Info)

RELEVANT BILLS INTRODUCED

  • H.R. 5691. To amend the Truth in Lending Act to establish fair and transparent practices related to the marketing and provision of overdraft coverage programs at depository institutions, and for other purposes.

HAPPENING THIS WEEK 5/14-5/18

Hearings:

Events:

Policy Fellow Matt Rumsey wrote this post.

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