NEWS ROUNDUP:
- Congressman broke ethics rules in state legislature: U.S. Rep. David Rivera (R-FL) was charged this week with 11 counts of violating state ethics laws related to financial disclosure, campaign funds, and a $1 million consulting contract he had while serving as a state legislator. The FBI and IRS are also investigating. (The Miami Herald)
- Postal Service loses FOIA lawsuit: A U.S. district court has ruled the U.S. Postal Service must tell a California group how many pieces of mail a former school board member sent under a bulk mail permit, which is allegedly connected to shady election maneuvering. USPS had asserted that the information was exempt from disclosure and that releasing the information could cause some customers to stop using USPS services because of privacy concerns. (Federal Times)
2Day in #OpenGov 10/25/2012
NEWS ROUNDUP:
- Obama has more ads despite less spending: President Barack Obama's campaign and its allies have run more ads in battleground states than challenger Mitt Romney's campaign and supporters despite being outspent. Some 915,000 ads have run in total this campaign season. (Washington Post)
- Third-party candidates dig on campaign spending: Four third-party presidential candidates railed on the state of campaign finance at a recent debate. Each of the candidates expressed concern about the corrupting role of money in politics. (Public Integrity)
- Supreme Court keeps limit for now: The U.S. Supreme Court denied an application to vacate a stay that keeps limits on campaign contributions in Montana. Montana has been the site for many tests of campaign finance issues. (Lobby Comply Blog)
Learning how to navigate Congress.gov
The new and much improved location for Congressional information, beta.congress.gov, has plenty of resources to offer users. Now the Library of Congress (LOC) is offering webinars and in-person training to help users navigate the expanding website. We applaud LOC for providing a variety of training opportunities for those seeking a better understanding of the information available.
Continue reading2Day in #OpenGov 10/24/2012
NEWS ROUNDUP: Government
- FTC offers prize for blocking robocalls: The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is offering $50,000 to whoever can make the best robocall blocker. The challenge is open through January 2013. (GovTech)
- .gov links targeted in spam scam: Government websites with a .gov URL are being targeted in a spam scam, according to Symantec. (GovTech)
- Whistleblower pleads guilty: A former CIA officer accused of leaking the identities of two former colleagues to journalists pleaded guilty to one charge, but prosecutors dropped several other charges. John Kiriakou will be sentenced to two-and-a-half years in prison under the plea deal. (New York Times)
Creating better public access to information
Public- and private-sector experts from Mexico and the United States explored how laws granting public access to government information can be more effective at a recent Wilson Center event. Mexico's freedom of information law is hailed by some experts as a “gold standard” because it set a high bar: treating all information as public rather than secret. Those same experts agree, however, that legal and cultural changes are needed to make the system more effective. Mexico is still working to create a supporting set of laws for its freedom of information centerpiece. IFAI, the autonomous government body overseeing freedom of information in Mexico, is working to gain more enforcement power that will help it ensure government officials comply with the law. As the law stands now, IFAI has little power to tell a federal body that they must comply with freedom of information standards.
Continue reading2Day in #OpenGov 10/23/2012
NEWS ROUNDUP: Government
- DOJ, FBI ordered to pay up after denying FOIA: The FBI and Department of Justice owe a journalist nearly $500,000 in attorney fees after denying a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request he filed seeking information about former President Ronald Reagan. A judge ruled the two federal departments were wrong to withhold the information. (Courthouse News)
- Nonprofit challenges campaign contribution limits: Funders behind a Colorado-based nonprofit aiming to rewrite campaign finance laws in Montana remain a mystery. Links have been discovered, however, between the group and national Tea Party groups funded by the conservative Koch brothers. (Public Integrity)
- Campaigns choose target TV programs: Are viewers more likely to see Republican or Democratic ads when watching "The Andy Griffith Show"? What about "2 Broke Girls"? Yahoo has a breakdown of which party is dominating the ads for a variety of TV shows. (Yahoo)
2Day in #OpenGov 10/15/12
NEWS ROUNDUP: Government
- Sequestration lobbying abounds: With sequestration, or automatic spending cuts, looming in the federal government, lobbying groups are increasing efforts to protect their special interests. They are also calling for revenue-raising measures. (Government Executive)
- SEC receives poor marks on recordkeeping: The federal agency monitoring Wall Street records failed to properly handle its own records, according to a recent audit. The report showed Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) employees are not always clear about what records to keep and what to destroy, among other problems. (POGO)
2Day in #OpenGov 10/12/12
NEWS ROUNDUP: Government Directive aims to protect whistleblowers: A new Presidential Policy Directive aims to protect government employees in the intelligence... View Article
Continue readingWhistleblower directive encourages protections
A new Presidential Policy Directive aimed at protecting whistleblowers with access to classified information marks an important step in securing the rights of government employees who try to expose waste, fraud, and abuse. The directive, issued by President Barack Obama, bans retaliation against employees for protected disclosures, though it does not extend to disclosures to Congress or the public. It sets standards that Congress has so far failed to put into law. The Whistleblower Protection Enhancement Act has been approved in the House but has yet to make it through the Senate, and it does not contain the intelligence-community protections outlined in the directive.
Continue readingInternational aid groups lack transparency
International aid groups represent more than $130 billion in annual cash flows, and 80 percent of the groups controlling that money fail to provide some basic information about where and how that money is used. Those are the findings of a recent report from Publish What You Fund, a group focused on a global campaign for aid transparency. Though the scores for most groups are low, the results of the 2012 report are an improvement from past years. The average score of a 41 percent transparency rating this year comes after an average score of just 34 percent in 2011.
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