2Day in #OpenGov 11/9/12

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NEWS ROUNDUP:

Government

  • Fill the Office of Congressional Ethics: There are vacant seats in the Office of Congressional Ethics (OCE), and the panel will not be able to function unless those seats are filled. It will be up to the Speaker and Minority Leader to fill the positions. (Roll Call, opinion)

Campaign remnants 

  • Was super PAC money counterproductive? Money spent by conservative-leaning super PACs to support Mitt Romney in the presidential race could have actually hurt the candidate, some are arguing. Their theory is that Romney didn’t have enough of a chance to move from the far-left to being more moderate between the primary and general. (NPR)
  • Cat takes third place: A Maine Coon cat named Hank appeared to place third in a Virginia Senate race, bringing in more than 5,000 votes. The mission of Hank’s campaign was to raise awareness about the intense partisanship of political campaigns. (Roll Call)

Lobbying

  • Out of Congress, looking at K street: Lawmakers who lost re-election this year could find new jobs as lobbyists, especially if they have a bipartisan record. Being able to work with either party is a highly-prized, and highly-paid, asset among lobbyists. (The Hill)
Technology
  • New FOIA request project: A project launched recently by the Electronic Frontier Foundation aims to make it easier to file federal Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests and sort through the resulting information. (FCW)
  • Data collectors admit to selling info from social media sites: Data collection companies told lawmakers they do sell information gathered on social media websites to third-party groups. They said the practice is in accordance with the social media websites’ terms of service, responding to lawmakers’ questions about business practices. (The Hill)
  • Changes possibly coming to FCC: The focus of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) could change during President Barack Obama’s second term. The current chairperson could be out within the next year, and there are several court cases pending that will affect FCC authority. (New York Times)
 RELEVANT BILLS INTRODUCED:
  • None

HAPPENING TODAY 11/9: 

  • None.

JOB OPPORTUNITIES:

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