Policy Fellow Matt Rumsey wrote this post. Here is Tuesday’s take on transparency-related news items, congressional committee hearings, transparency-related bills... View Article
Continue reading2Day in #OpenGov 3/5/2012
Here is the week's first look at transparency-related news items, congressional committee hearings, transparency-related bills introduced in Congress, and transparency-related events. News Roundup:
Campaign Finance
- Many of the defense companies that have donated to the state legislature campaign of Patricia McKeon, wife of Buck McKeon the chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, are entering into local California politics for the first time. (Republic Report)
- The influence of big money on the 2012 elections has cast a light on the dysfunction of the FEC. (Politico)
- The Obama administration pledged to be the most open and transparent in history. While some progress has been made, critics cite FOIA issues, whistleblower prosecutions, and spotty compliance with open-government plans as examples of the administration's failure to live up to its promises. (Politico)
- The EPA is joining the ranks of federal agencies who have migrated their websites to the Drupal open source content management. So far 130 federal agencies, 20 House offices, and several dozen state governments have adopted Drupal, with more expected to join. (Federal Computer Week)
International
- Switzerland, often cited as a model democracy, does not currently have a specific open government data policy. (Open Knowledge Foundation)
- The Securities and Exchange Commission charged three executives from the Noble Corporation with violating the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act for their participation in a bribery scheme aimed at obtaining oil permits in Nigeria. (Sahara Reporters)
- The UK is currently running beta testing on their new government web portal GOV.UK. The portal looks likely to set a new standard. (Gov Fresh)
2Day in #OpenGov 3/2/2012
Here is the week's final look at transparency-related news items, congressional committee hearings, transparency-related bills introduced in Congress, and transparency-related events. News Roundup:
Campaign Finance
- President Obama reached a unique milestone on his trip to New York this week. He has now held over 100 fundraisers in less than a year. (New York Times)
- Major political donors are seeing a return on their investment this election cycle. Many mega-donors are seeing their favorite issues getting play from super PACs and candidates. (Politico)
- An un-publicized club of large Democratic donors is fighting an internal battle over its shift from funding think-tanks and policy projects to making direct political donations. Some members are threatening to leave the cluband few have personally donated to pro-Obama super PACs. (Politico)
- Rep. John Larson (D-CT) lost his chief of staff to Airlines for America. Shelley Rubino will be the group's vice president of global government affairs. (Roll Call)
- Republican strategist and former hill staffer Ken Lundberg is setting up his own PR shop. Sixth Street Group will focus on health care, energy, and technology issues. (National Journal)
State and Local
- The 2012 TED prize is being dedicated to the concept of "The City 2.0" and will be distributed to local projects including an online platform to crowdsource ideas for improving the 21st century city. (Tech President)
2Day in #OpenGov 3/1/2012
Here is the Thursday's look at transparency-related news items, congressional committee hearings, transparency-related bills introduced in Congress, and transparency-related events. News Roundup:
Campaign Finance
- Mitt Romney and the super PAC supporting his candidacy spent twice as much in Michigan as his republican rivals combined. So far the Romney machine has spent $38.5 million, easily outpacing the combined totals of the other Republicans remaining in the race. (Politico)
- Reform advocate Lawrence Lessig has argued against repealing the Citizens United decision. Instead he has strongly supported more comprehensive electoral reforms. (iWatch News)
- Retiring Senator Olympia Snowe (R-ME) will be a hot commodity if she decides to look for her next job on K Street. Her long service, committee experience, and bipartisan reputation could guarantee her lucrative offers. (The Hill)
- Mitt Romney recently received the endorsement of former Montana Gov. Marc Racicot. Racicot has also worked as a lobbyist and president of the American Insurance Association. (National Journal)
International
- Small steps have been taken towards government transparency in Russia over the past few years, including a Freedom of Information Act. (Global Voices)
- China's top official in Tibet urged authorities to tighten control over the internet and mobile phones. The move comes ahead of Tibet's annual parliamentary session, amid fears of unrest. (Reuters/Yahoo)
2Day in #OpenGov 2/29/2012
Enjoy this extra special leap day look at transparency-related news items, congressional committee hearings, transparency-related bills introduced in Congress, and transparency-related events. News Roundup:
Lobbying
- The American Coalition for Clean Coal Electricity is losing its President later this year. Steve Miller led the group for 17 years and helped grow it from a regional shop into a major player in Washington. (National Journal)
- Quinn Gillespie & Associates is losing one of its top Republican lobbyists. The firm has had some high profile staff changes and seen its earnings slip over the past year. (The Hill)
- Mitt Romney spoke out about the relationship between super PACs and campaigns. He called regulations governing coordination "very strange, awkward and inappropriate" and suggested throwing out and rewriting campaign finance laws. (National Journal)
- The New York Times Developer Network is now updating FEC data through its campaign finance API every 15 minutes. (Lobby Comply)
- A former News Corporation executive is co-hosting a high profile fundraiser for President Obama. Other notable co-hosts include movie producer Harvey Weinstein, designers Tory Burch and Michael Kors, and HBO co-president Richard Plepler. (Politico)
State and Local
- The New York City Council is expected to vote on a wide-reaching open data bill that would require all city agencies to provide data online in machine-readable formats through a single, citywide portal. Agencies would have until 2018 to fully comply with the law. (Tech President)
- A Utah Representative introduced a bill that would funnel anonymous political contributions of more than $50 to the entity where the position the candidate is pursuing exists. For example, a local school board candidate would have to transfer any anonymous donations over $50 to their school district's general fund. (Lobby Comply)
2Day in #OpenGov 2/28/2012
Policy Fellow Matt Rumsey wrote this post. Here is Tuesday’s take on transparency-related news items, congressional committee hearings, transparency-related bills... View Article
Continue reading2Day in #OpenGov 2/27/2012
Here is the week's first look at transparency-related news items, congressional committee hearings, transparency-related bills introduced in Congress, and transparency-related events. News Roundup:
Lobbying
- Three lobby shops contracted by Facebook have stopped working for the internet giant after content providers who also work with the firms raised "conflict" concerns. Facebook has a robust presence in Washington, but is now left with only one outside lobbying firm. (Politico)
- The House Energy and Commerce Committee is losing its general counsel, Jim Barnette, to Steptoe & Johnson. Barnette previously worked at the firm from 2007 to 2011. (National Journal)
- Some of the most generous donors to super PACs supporting Mitt Romney and President Obama also spent big money on lobbying activity in 2011. (The Hill)
- According to a CBO report, the Government Results Transparency Act (H.R. 3262) would cost $115 million over the next four years. The bill would require agencies to post program level spending data on a central website. (Government Executive)
- Federal CIO Steven VanRoekel laid out his list of priorities for 2012 on Friday. He hopes to use federal IT strategically in order to drive efficiency, spur innovation, protect U.S. resources, and more effectively provide services to citizens. (Federal Computer Week)
International
- More than 11,000 Cambodians who took part in a year-long series of forums with their elected officials identified corruption as one of their major concerns. (NDI)
- The Indonesian government is preparing to take advantage of Twitter's country-specific censorship policies to target "rude anonymous" tweets. (Global Voices)
2Day in #OpenGov 2/24/2012
Here is the week's last look at transparency-related news items, congressional committee hearings, transparency-related bills introduced in Congress, and transparency-related events. News Roundup:
Campaign Finance
- Comedian Bill Maher became the first high profile donor to drop a generous donation on the pro-Obama super PAC Priorities USA Action. He presented the group with a $1 million check during a stand-up act in California. (National Journal)
- Texas billionaire Harold Simmons, who has outspent every other super PAC donor this election cycle, has a history of giving big bucks to conservative causes. In 2004 he was a prime backer of Swift Boat Veterans for Truth and in 2008 he helped bankroll ads suggesting Barack Obama supported the Weather Underground. (Politico)
- Google has named Susan Molinari, a former member of Congress and longtime lobbyist, as head of its Washington, DC offices. (Washington Post)
- Federal contractors are worried that provisions in the STOCK Act could force their employees to register as lobbyists. They claim that the legislation could threaten industry and government relationships. (Federal Computer Week)
International
- Recent scandals have led a majority of British people to believe that corruption is a major problem in the UK. (Transparency International)
- The European Court of Human Rights ruled against Turkish courts by finding that they should not have fined a writer for editorials criticizing the Turkish Prime Minister for prosecuting journalists. (Courthouse News)
2Day in #OpenGov 2/23/2012
Here is Thursday's look at transparency-related news items, congressional committee hearings, transparency-related bills introduced in Congress, and transparency-related events. News Roundup:
Campaign Finance
- 25% of all money raised by super PACs in January came from five very wealthy individuals. (National Journal/The Atlantic Wire)
- Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick (D), who has come out against super PACs, donated to the Democratic Governors Association's super PAC. (iWatch News)
- A class-action suit was filed against the CIA on Wednesday, alleging that the agency has imposed unlawful requirements on Freedom of Information Act Requesters. (Politico)
- San Francisco launched its 2012 Innovation Portfolio, an attempt to make the city more relevant to its booming tech industry and open up city data and services to innovation. (Tech Crunch)
- Rep. Bill Posey (R-FL) introduced the Stop the Revolving Door in Washington Act, which would ban lobbying by former members of Congress for five years and seek to close the loophole that allows many former members to exert influence without registering as lobbyists. (Republic Report)
- Former Federal CTO Aneesh Chopra rejoined the Advisory Board Co., the healthcare research and consulting firm where previously worked for almost a decade. He will serve as senior adviser for health care technology strategy. (Federal Computer Week)
- Former Ambassador to Indonesia and Bolivia Robert Gelbard joined the public policy and regulation practice at SNR Denton. (Roll Call $)
International
- Last year, the government of Finland moved to make all data generated with taxpayer money open to the public. This flood of data lead Finland's leading national paper to hold a contest for unique and usable data visualization apps. (Open Knowledge Foundation)
2Day in #OpenGov 2/22/2012
Here is the Wednesday's look at transparency-related news items, congressional committee hearings, transparency-related bills introduced in Congress, and transparency-related events. News Roundup:
Campaign Finance
- Eleven Senate Democrats sent a letter to FEC Chair Caroline Hunter arguing for broad disclosure and disclaimer rules in response to Citizens United and the rise of super PACs. (Politico)
- The US Supreme Court stayed the Montana Supreme Court's decision upholding a state law prohibiting certain corporate political expenditures. The move makes it appear likely that the U.S. Supreme Court will reassess Citizens United in the future. (Lobby Comply)
Access to Information
- Regulations.gov, the nation's primary online regulatory portal received a redesign and fresh commitment from the White House Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs that regulatory data will be made available to the public. (Gov Fresh)
- The Department of Justice ended the last fiscal year with almost 1,000 fewer backlogged FOIA requests, according to their annual FOIA report. (Fierce Government)
- Several government agencies are facing a lawsuit attempting to force them to comply with 2007 changes to FOIA that required agencies to provide a time estimate for completion of requests. (Investigative Reporting Workshop)
- Visa is beefing up its lobbying presence with the addition of three major firms according to recent registrations. The Glover Park Group, Breaux Lott Leadership Group, and Creative Response Concepts will lobby on corporate tax, credit card, privacy, and cyber security issues. (The Hill)
- The MPAA is continuing to pull new staff from the revolving door. Their two most recent hires come from the Senate Judiciary Committee and the White House communications office. (The Hill)
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