NEWS ROUNDUP:

• The GAO’s third annual report on duplication in the federal government includes and interesting tidbit on some freely available government data. It looks like the Commerce Department has been charging other agencies millions of dollars for reports from the National Technical Information Service even though 74 % of the NSIT’s studies are easily accessible online. (Washington Times)
• Whoever ends up taking on Mitch McConnell in 2014 is going to need some serious fundraising chops. The Senate Minority Leader has raised almost $2 million so far this year and has a cool$8.6 million on hand. (Washington Post)
• Hundreds of hill staffers have locked their personal twitter accounts in response to last week’s news that LegiStorm was aggregating them for a new product, StormFeed. (POLITICO)
• With Congress eyeing an overhaul of the tax-code the politicians likely to have major influence over the proceedings are making it clear that they intend to do some of the negotiating in secret, despite publicly stating that they plan to lead an “open and transparent” process. (The Hill)
• New Jersey Governor Chris Christie might not have any major competition for his reelection bid, but the potential candidate for the 2016 GOP nomination has attracted some negative attention from an outside spending group. One New Jersey is slated to spend $500,000 over two weeks on ads attacking Christie’s record. (POLITICO)
• Yesterday a Senate Judiciary subcommittee heard testimony on campaign finance laws, specifically finding out why they have proven so hard to enforce recently. (NPR)

RELEVANT BILLS INTRODUCED:

• None. 

HAPPENING TODAY 4/10:

• U.S. Foreign Assistance: What oversight mechanisms are in place to ensure accountability. House Oversight and Government Reform. Wed. 4/10. 9:30 am. 2154 RHOB.
• Legislative Transparency and the Joint Committee on the Organization of Congress. GMU. Wed. 4/10. 12:00 – 1:00 pm. George Mason University, Arlington Campus, Founders Hall, Room 317, 3301 Fairfax Drive, Arlington, VA 22201.
• Markup of the Cyber Intelligence Sharing and Protection Act (CISPA). House Intelligence. 2:00 pm. HVC-304, the Capitol.
• Markup of a bill to affirm the policy of the United States regarding internet governance. House Energy and Commerce. 4:00 pm and Thur. 4/11. 2:15 pm. 2123 RHOB. Subcommittee on Communications and Technology.

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