2Day in #OpenGov 5/21/2012

by

NEWS ROUNDUP

Government

  • Lobbyists spending lots of time at the White House: An analysis of White House visitor logs and lobbyist registrations show that K street has a very regular presence in the Executive offices. (Washington Post)
  • Public meeting…without the public? The House Ethics Committee held a “public meeting” on Friday, but there were no members of the public present due to a House rule that allowed the panel to convene earlier than they were supposed to. (Roll Call)

State and Local

  • Illinois considers grant transparency: Two Illinois state Senators are backing a bill that would make the state’s grant reporting process more transparent. The bill would put grant information online in a centralized location with a common format. (State Integrity)
  • Supreme corruption in the Keystone State: Pennsylvania Supreme Court Justice Joan Orie Melvin had nine criminal charges recommended against her for allegedly using her taxpayer-funded staff while campaigning for her seat. She was suspended from the bench, but has no plans to resign. (TrustLaw)
  • States’ campaign finance rights: 22 states and DC have lined up to support Montana in its effort to prevent the Citizens United decision from being used to strike down state laws against corporate campaign spending. A group working to get the Supreme Court to strike down Montana’s law argues that it conflicts directly with Citizens United. (Washington Times)

International

  • No Twitter in Pakistan: Pakistan blocked Twitter across all of its Internet Service Providers over the weekend. The censorship appears related to “Draw Mohammad Day”, a contest calling for caricatures of the Prophet Muhammad. (Global Voices)
  • Avalanche of crowdsourcing: A new crowd-sourcing initiative is aiming to better share avalanche information and data around the world, hopefully improving safety. (Ushahidi Blog)

RELEVANT BILLS INTRODUCED

  • S. 3076. A bill to amend title 11 of the United States Code to require the public disclosure by trusts established under section 524(g) of such title, of quarterly reports that contain detailed information regarding the receipt and disposition of claims for injuries based on exposure to asbestos, and the filing of such reports with the Executive Office for United States Trustees. Referred to the Committee on the Judiciary.
  • H.R. 5799. To modernize voter registration, promote access to voting for individuals with disabilities, protect the ability of individuals to exercise the right to vote in elections for Federal office, and for other purposes. Referred to the House Committees on Administration, Judiciary, Science, Space, and Technology, Veterans’ Affairs, Oversight and Government Reform, and Education and the Workforce.

HAPPENING THIS WEEK 5/21-2/25

Hearings:

Events:
Job Opportunities: 

Do you want to track transparency news? You can add our feed to your Google Reader, or view it on our Netvibes page. You can also get 2Day in #OpenGov sent directly to your reader!