NEWS ROUNDUP:
Government
- House Ethics changes rules: The House Ethics Committee held a 5 minute long public meeting to approve a package of rule changes designed to streamline future investigations. One change relates to when documents and testimony should, or must, be released publicly. (Roll Call)
- Study panel STOCKed: The National Academy of Public Administration named the five experts who will study the possible effects of putting some federal personal financial disclosure statements online. Congress requested the study in response to repeated concerns about how the STOCK Act requirement could effect employee privacy and national security. (Federal Times)
- IT Dashboard not being updated: The Federal IT Dashboard, which contains the president's budget and interactive data on agency spending and is intended to help agencies address duplicative IT investments, has not been updated since August because of the continued spending standoff. (Federal Computer Week)
- EPA e-mail investigation: Lisa Jackson, the EPA administrator, is under fire from Congressional Republicans and the EPA's IGA for her use of a secondary e-mail account. Republicans are questioning how transparent the EPA has been while handling electronic records. Meanwhile, the EPA claims using two emails is a long standing practice. (Washington Post)
State and Local
- Open data that appeals to city dwellers: Cities around the United States released datasets that allowed developers to create apps that were useful to citizens and improved public health and safety. (Atlantic Cities)
International
- Turkey fined for blocking sites: The EU has fined Turkey for blocking Google Sites, stemming from a 2009 case brought by a Turkish citizen. Turkey blocked all pages hosted on sites.google.com after finding one page that insulted Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, the founder of the Republic of Turkey. Turkey's long history of internet censorship could be a stumbling block in its quest to join the EU. (Tech President)
The DC Council should consider improved lobbying disclosure
The idea that Washington, DC's lobbying disclosure schedule is inadequate is not new, but it might be easy to improve thanks to new legislation targeting campaign finance reform.
Lobbying and campaign finance are inherently linked. Companies that lobby the city government invariably give to political campaigns.
Currently, those who lobby the DC government and Council only have to report their activities and expenditures twice a year. As a result, journalists, watchdogs and interested citizens often have to wait until far after important debates for crucial information about the special interests that were working to influence policy decisions. Moreover, the bi-yearly requirements make it difficult to paint a complete picture of influence spending, especially in an election year.
2Day in #OpenGov 10/22/2012
NEWS ROUNDUP: Government
- WhiteHouse.gov's new wardrobe: The White House launched a refreshed web portal that aims to provide clear paths to information and improve ease of use. Macon Phillips, White House Director of Digital Strategy, noted that the changes were an attempt to apply lessons learned through previous updates. (FedScoop)
- Federal websites need some work: A new survey found that most federal websites make significant errors when it comes to usability, accessibility, and search engine optimization. According to the study, the FAA, CIA, and Homeland Security scored highest over a variety of categories. (Government Technology)
Campaign Trail
- Companies disclose their Chamber contributions: The US Chamber of Commerce pledged to spend $100 million this election cycle to support pro corporate candidates, but it isn't required to disclose the sources funding this push. More than 2 dozen companies have chosen to place the onus of disclosure on themselves and announced their donations to the Chamber of Commerce. (Washington Post)
- Pelosi raised $7 million for Democrats in September: Speculation has been rampant about Nancy Pelosi's (D-CA) future as House Minority Leader. But, her continued fundraising prowess makes it likely that she can hold on to the job if she wants it. (National Journal)
2Day in #OpenGov 10/19/2012
NEWS ROUNDUP: Government
- DoD doubles down on leaks: In a memo released yesterday Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta reaffirmed the Pentagon's commitment to tracking down and punishing leakers. The DoD will impliment a "top down" approach, including the review of major media sources for leaked information, in their efforts to find individuals who release classified information into the public domain. (POGO)
- SEC seeing better tips: The SECs whistleblower office, which opened just over a year ago, has already received nearly 3,000 tips from around the world. According to SEC commisioner Luis Aguilar, the quality of information received has gone up significantly since the implementation of a Dodd-Frank Act program that provides rewards to whistleblowers whose information leads to enforcement cases with penalties over $1 million. (Wall Street Journal)
The News Without Transparency – Mobile Phone Surveillance by Police Targets Millions Annually
Earlier this year, Rep. Edward Markey (D-MA) released information that his Congressional Privacy Caucus received from mobile carriers indicating that they had responded to 1.3 million requests from law enforcement for subscriber data in 2011. Wired Magazine’s Threat Level blog covered the release in detail, relying on information that may have never come to light without Markey’s efforts.
Continue reading2Day in #OpenGov 10/18/2012
NEWS ROUNDUP: Government
- SEC records mismanagement? A new report from the SECs Inspector General reveals that the agencies records management practices are in disorder. The agency disputed the finding, claiming that they had made improvements, including the appointment of their first archivist in 2007, that were not noted in the report. (Federal Computer Week)
- GPO and Treasury team up: The US Government Printing Office is teaming up with the Treasury department for a pilot program that would put historic information from the Treasury Library on the GPO's online document depository FDsys. (FDLP)
2Day in #OpenGov 10/17/2012
NEWS ROUNDUP: Government
- Electronic access to lab test results: A regulation proposed by HHS in 2011 would expand patient access to electronic versions of their lab test results, which was excluded from a 2009 modernizing patient access to electronic medical records. A number of groups have signed a letter in support of the rule. (O'Reilly Radar)
- Finding abuse in mountains of data: According to panelists at a FedInsider Leadership Forum, The IRS and SEC are beggining to embrace new data mining tools to detect evidence of fraud and abuse in large amounts of data. (Government Executive)
2Day in #OpenGov 10/16/2012
NEWS ROUNDUP: Government
- Tangherlini talks innovation: Dan Tangherlini, acting administrator of the GSA, outlined some avenues towards innovationthat his agency is pursuing. Speaking at a seminar at George Washington University, he highlighted telecommuting, mobile devices, social media use, and crowdsourcing. (Executive Government)
- Romney to lobbyists- You're hired? Lobbyists are hopeful that if Mitt Romney wins the presidency his administration will be more open to hiring them than President Obama, who signed an executive order keeping many lobbyists from moving to jobs in the White House. (Politico)
- Ch-Ch-Ch-Changes: Several staff changes on K Street came to light today. Notably, a former chief of staff to Rep. Kay Granger (R-TX) headed through the revloving door. Chelsey Pendrod Hickman is joining the Grossman Group as a lobbyist. (National Journal) Continue reading
Survey: How Many States Publish Rules and Regulations Online?
Earlier this year, Connecticut Governor Dannel Malloy (D) signed a bill that would require that all state regulations be posted... View Article
Continue reading2Day in #OpenGov 9/26/2012
NEWS ROUNDUP: Government GSA reexamines streamlining efforts: The General Services Administration (GSA) is taking another look at what files need... View Article
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