Government

• Hatch Act 2.0: Witnesses urged lawmakers to address technology and social media issues when considering reforms to the Hatch Act. The law, passed in 1939, governs political activity by federal, state, and local government officials. (Government Executive)
• Former lawmakers avoid lobbyist registration: At least 30 lawmakers who left Capitol Hill after the 111th Congress currently work at law firms, lobby shops, trade groups, and think tanks that lobby. However, only 10 of them registered as lobbyists. (The Hill)

State and Local

• Utah looks to clean up legislature: Utahns for Ethical Government, a nonpartisan citizen group, is fighting to put a proposed ethics initiative in front of voters. The Utah legislature has resisted attempts to reform its internal ethics rules. (State Integrity)
• IT corruption in Michigan: Three IT officials in Wayne County, Michigan have been charged in corruption probes this year. The charges include extortion, theft, and accepting illegal payments. (Government Technology)

International

• Ghana waiting on right to information: A right to information bill has been languishing in the Ghanaian parliament since early in 2010. (Global Voices)
• Brazilian transparency – effective immediately: Two landmark pieces of legislation were passed in Brazil last October. Yesterday the new freedom of information law and truth commission went into effect. (Observing Brazil)
• Crowd-sourcing conflicts of interest: Chilean transparency group Fundacion Ciudadano Inteligente launched a new website that allows citizens to track and map potential corporate ties and conflicts of interest that might influence lawmakers. (Tech President)