Today in #OpenGov 4/13/2014

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Keep reading for a snowy day’s look at #OpenGov news, events and analysis including super PACs, intrigue in the European Parliament, and mayors hiding in their personal email accounts.series-opengov-today

National News

  • Super PACs have been building up their war chests in advance of the upcoming midterm elections and are sitting on $63 million. (Roll Call)
  • An Obama administration proposal to curb the political power of tax-exempt groups is getting attacked from both left and right. More than 23,000, mostly critical, comments have been filed on a proposed IRS rule around 501(c)(4)’s. (Washington Post)
  • The App Developers Alliance added some power players recently. The Trade Association picked up Sprint and Yahoo to its ranks of more than 170 companies. (The Hill)

International News

  • The Turkish parliament passed a restrictive internet bill that would allow the government to shut down URLs with impunity and force ISPs to retain user data for up to two years. (Freedom House)
  • The two most powerful groups in the European Parliament have joined together to postpone a proposed rule change that would increase transparency at the committee level. (EU Observer)

State and Local News

  • We’ve noted it before, but it’s always worth noting again. Many mayors, and plenty of other officials at all levels of government, think they can get away with hiding their dealings by conducting official business on their personal email addresses. (Huffington Post)
  • Talking Transition, an effort by new New York Mayor Bill DeBlasio to engage with citizens and take the pulse of the city, released data from the nearly 70,000 responses. (Tech President)

 

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