Today in #OpenGov 5/5/2014

by

Keep reading for today’s look at #OpenGov news, events and analysis including opening the Chamber’s wallet, Poderpedia expanding, and secret money in Montana.series-opengov-today

National News

  • The Chamber of Commerce is churning out independent expenditures this quarter, announcing more than $3 million worth in the past week alone. The group is supporting Republicans in Georgia, Michigan, Montana, and Alaska as well as hitting Senator Mark Begich (D-AK). (Roll Call)
  • Fewer folks move from K street to Capitol Hill than the other way around, but the practice of lobbyists becoming Hill staffers hit a ten year low in 2013, with only 108 former lobbyists moving across town. (Washington Post)
  • Senator John Hoeven (R-ND) floated the idea of bringing back earmarks, provided the move came with full transparency. (Roll Call)

International News

  • Poderpedia, a platform on which journalists use public information and reporting to build profiles of public officials, is coming to Colombia and Venezuela, one of South America’s most closed countries. (Tech President)
  • India is more than halfway through its election period, with results set to be released on May 16. Politicians should tackle corruption, despite the difficulties associated with trying to address the issue. (Transparency International)

State and Local News

  • Philadelphia is getting closer to putting all of its regulations online. The city council is preparing to pass legislation that would mandate all agencies post their regulations. (Technical.ly Philly)
  • Two Montana State Senators control a secretive committee that raised and spent big bucks in the state’s 2012 State Supreme Court election. (Public Integrity)

This Week

Do you want to track transparency news? You can follow the progress of relevant bills on our Scout page. You can also get Today in #OpenGov sent directly to your preferred news reader!