Keep reading for today’s look at #OpenGov news, events, and analysis including plenty of opinion, another move in the Uber-Lyft war, and getting rewarded for net neutrality opposition. 

National News

• It’s the Washington Post’s turn to take a long took at Mayday PAC, the effort to turn campaign finance reform into a well funded election issue being run by Lawrence Lessig. (Washington Post)
• The telecommunications industry has not been shy in rewarding members of Congress who are actively supporting them by opposing Net Neutrality according to new analysis. (Ars Technica)
• Opinion: Banning lobbyists from working in the White House merely caused more influencers to deregister and limited the talent pool available to the administration.  (Roll Call)
• Opinion: The time for FOIA reform is now and there’s no reason why The FOIA Improvement Act, which boasts bipartisan support, can’t pass both chambers and head to President Obama’s desk before the year is out. (Roll Call)

International News

• Members of parliament from Afghanistan, Kenya, Mongolia, and Pakistan will be discussing legislative openness and budgetary transparency on Friday. (NDI)

State and Local News

• Code for America is teaming up with Mapzen (to the tune of $500,000) to help governments open up more geospatial data. (Code for America)
• Lyft revved up its engines for the next lap of its war with Uber (and local taxi commissions across the country) by adding Dick Gephardt’s lobbying firm to its list of featurs. Gephardt was formerly the Democratic leader in the House. (The Hill)
• Sometimes its hard to see the value of open government data, but valuable apps that we use every day are powered by it. (Open Source)

Events Today

• Examining ObamaCare’s Failures in Security, Accountability, and Transparency. House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform. Thurs. 9/18. 11:00 am. 2154 Rayburn House Office Building.
• Creating Value from Government Data: The next wave of data-driven innovation. Center for Data Innovation. Thurs. 9/18. 11:30 am – 1:00 pm. Capitol Visitor Center, SVC-215, East Capitol Street, NE and 1st Street, NE.

Events Tomorrow

• How Billionaires are Reshaping Politics, Philanthropy, and Society. Brookings Institution. Fri. 9/19. 10:00 – 11:30 am. 1775 Massachusetts Ave NW, Falk Auditorium, Washington, DC 20036.

Do you want to track transparency news? You can follow the progress of relevant bills, court cases, and regulations using Scout. You can also get Today in #OpenGov sent directly to your preferred news reader. If you would like suggest an event, please email mrumsey@sunlightfoundation.com by 7 am on the Monday prior to the event.