NEWS ROUNDUP:

• The Philippine Department of Agriculture is embracing the message of transparency being spread by their president with a new open data portal. The portal aims to raise public awareness of the department’s projects and includes budget data, photos, and mapping features.  (Future Gov)
• A new proposal from the European Commission would require companies to publicly disclose information about their anti-bribery and corruption efforts. The proposal would target some 16,000 European companies that have at least 500 employees. (TrustLaw)
• A prominent Russian blogger and political activist who exposed corruption in the United Russia party is facing up to ten years in prison on charges of corruption that independent reviewers have called “laughably bogus.” Aleksei Navalny, who got his start advising a provincial governor, exposed millions of dollars in corruption and led opposition to the United Russia part in recent elections. (Tech President)
• A data disclosure bill working its way through the California legislature has attracted some negative attention from big tech firms like Facebook and Google. The bill would require companies to provide customers with any personal information that the company holds about them upon request and is similar to laws that are already in effect in Europe. (Ars Technica)
• The Chamber of Commerce pulled up slightly on its rapid election year lobbying pace, but the group still managed to spend more than $10 million on lobbying during the first quarter of 2013. The Chamber has more than 40 in house lobbyists and 14 firms on retainer. (Roll Call)
• On Monday, Michelle Bachmann’s former chief of staff, Andy Parrish, testified that Bachmann personally approved payments to an Iowa state senator as part of her presidential campaign despite rules against the practice. He also stated that those involved believed that they acted within the law. (National Journal)
• Companies that chose to file their first quarter lobbying reports early are generally showing spending increases. It’s hard to say if the trend will continue as more companies file or if the overachievers were just eager to show off. (Roll Call)

RELEVANT BILLS INTRODUCED:

• H.R. 1626. Focusing the SEC on Its Mission Act.
• H.R. 1638. Census Reform Act of 2013.

HAPPENING TODAY 4/23:

• Drone Wars: The constitutional and counterterrorism implications of targeting killing. Senate Judiciary. 10:00 am. 226 Dirksen Senate Office Building. Subcommittee on the Constitution, Civil Rights, and Human Rights.
• Federal Executive Branch Ethics: Ethically entering and exiting government for international practitioners. American Society of International Law. 12:00 – 1:30 pm. 2223 Massachusetts Ave NW, Washington, DC 20008.
• Is there a constitutional right to e-governance? AU WCL. 10:00 – 11:30 am. 4801 Massachusetts Ave NW, Room 602, Washington, DC 20016.

HAPPENING TOMORROW 4/24: 

• Governments, Gatekeepers, and Journalists. NED. 9:30 – 11:00 am. National Press Club, 529 14th street NW, 13th floor, Washington, DC 20045.
• Next Generation Computing and Big Data Analytics. House Science, Space, and Technology. 10:00 am. 2318 Rayburn House Office Building. Subcommittees on Research and Technology.

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