Policy Fellow Matt Rumsey wrote this post. I’m heading home for the holidays tomorrow, so here is the weeks last... View Article
Continue reading2Day in #OpenGov 12/21/2011
Policy Fellow Matt Rumsey wrote this post. Here is Wednesday’s look at transparency-related news items, congressional committee hearings, transparency-related bills... View Article
Continue reading2Day in #OpenGov 12/20/2011
Here is the Tuesday's take on transparency-related news items, congressional committee hearings, transparency-related bills introduced in Congress, and transparency-related events. News Roundup: Lobbying
- National political parties took more money from lobbyists in the first half of this year than in any other six-month period on record. Democrats raised 30% more lobbyist cash than Republicans. (Washington Times)
- Rep. Tom Cole's (R-OK) former deputy chief of staff is heading through the revolving door to join Steptoe & Johnson as a senior government affairs adviser. (National Journal)
Government
- Senator Ron Wyden (D-OR) introduced legislation as an alternative to the Protect IP and SOPA measures currently being considered. His OPEN act will soon be joined by a companion bill set to be introduced in the House by Darrell Issa (R-CA). (The Hill)
Campaign Finance
- Mitt Romney called recent changes in campaign finance law a "mockery" of campaign season and advocated getting rid of Super PACs. (Washington Post)
- A government watchdog filed a complaint with the FEC against Newt Gingrich's production company. The complaint alleges that Gingrich Productions made illegal contributions to Gingrich's presidential campaign. (National Journal)
- The International Association of Fire Fighters is coming back from a nine month hiatus on giving and donating to members of Congress. In the past, the association has been among the biggest PACs in terms of candidate contributions. (Politico)
International
- Representatives from member countries of the Open Government Partnership met in Brasilia, Brazil last week. There was plenty of Twitter chatter about the event. (Global Integrity)
- Libyans are excited to exercise new political freedoms, but are concerned about their lack of exposure to democratic practices and transparency in government. (NDI)
2Day in #OpenGov 12/19/2011
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
- The Volcker rule, intended to block banks from the type of trading that triggered the 2008 financial crisis, has been the target of a massive lobbying campaign as well as heavy citizen input. (Roll Call $)
- LightSquared, the wireless firm that the GOP claims benefited from its White House relationships, have hired Patton Boggs, a leading lobbying firm. (The Hill)
- A U.S. Chamber of Commerce staffer is heading to the hill to work for Rep. Aaron Schock (R-IL). Dave Natonski will become Schock's deputy chief of staff, he previously worked as the representative's communications director before joining the Chamber. (National Journal)
Government
- If the House stays in session through Wednesday the Judiciary Committee will resume its markup of the Stop Online Privacy Act. The markup has already stretched over two days, with opponents of the bill offering numerous amendments in hopes of changing provisions that they view as harmful to internet freedom. (The Hill)
- Meanwhile, Senator Ron Wyden (D-OR) vowed to filibuster the PROTECT IP act, the Senate's version of SOPA. (Politico)
- Starting January 1, the House of Representatives will make many of its legislative documents available online in open data format. (Tech President)
Campaign Finance
- Five major Democratic political groups are in talks to coordinate their strategies to raise as much money as possible in advance of the 2012 presidential election. the pro-Obama Super PAC Priorities USA and four other groups are hoping to target major Democratic donors that have, so far, stayed on the sidelines this year. (Politico)
Ethics
- House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-VA) has pledged to push legislation suppressing congressional corruption next year. His proposal will expand on the STOCK Act, which would only explicitly ban insider trading by members of Congress. (Politico)
- Four sitting members of Congress may have received discounted loans through a VIP program run by Countrywide Financial. The program was used to build relationships with government officials and other well positioned clients. (Politico)
2Day in #OpenGov 12/16/2011
It's Friday and this is 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
- The FEC declined to write new rules that would require more information about donors backing political advertisements. The panel deadlocked 3-3 on the vote. (Politico)
- A federal judge struck down Alabama's ban on PAC-to-PAC money transfers. The Alabama Democratic Conference brought the suit, alleging that the law prohibited their PAC from accepting money from other PACs to use on voter communication and turnout efforts. (Lobby Comply)
Access to Information
- Massachusetts launched a new transparency website aimed to help users interpret state spending data. The site uses graphics and visualizations to break down the data. (Government Technology)
- The Army's case against Bradley Manning, accused of leaking thousands of classified documents to WikiLeaks, has been highly opaque. It will gain a bit of transparency at a public legal hearing scheduled for today. (Politico)
Government
- The Chairman of the Office of Congressional Ethics, Porter Goss, recused himself from the post because his son is running for Congress in Florida. He will remain on the board, but will not be involved in any investigative activities. (National Journal)
- The joint House and Senate 2012 appropriations bill released yesterday restores some funding to the E-Gov fund and ensures that it's budget will be independent from that of the Citizen Services Fund. (Nextgov)
- The Justice Department has recovered nearly $7 in fraud for every dollar it has spent on health care enforcement over the past three years. It also recovered more than $5.6 billion in criminal and civil fraud in the past year. (POGO)
International
- The British Lord Chief Justice issued guidance that will allow journalists in England and Wales to tweet from court. Previously, reporters had to make an application to the individual judge overseeing a case. (BBC)
2Day in #OpenGov 12/15/2011
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
- Reform groups renewed their request for the IRS to investigate if nonprofits that spend millions on political activities are eligible for their tax-exempt status. In a letter, the groups called out organizations including Americans Elect and Crossroads GPS. (Roll Call $)
- A new report from POGO and CRP found that companies involved in the Joint Strike Fighter program contributed almost twice as much money to lawmakers who joined the newly-formed Joint Strike Fighter Caucus than they did to other lawmakers. (Government Executive)
- The DCCC has charted an aggressive fundraising course heading into 2012. They recently erased $19 million in debt and are almost debt free as they prepare to spend on 2012 races. (Politico)
Government
- A small language change in the defense bill sparked a large lobbying battle this week. The edit, backed by Florida lawmakers and lobbyists for Odyssey Marine Explorations, would have made it easier for the company to claim $500 million worth of treasure from a shipwreck. The Spanish government and the Obama administration opposed the language and it was eventually removed. (Washington Post)
- Code for America got a $1.5 million grant from Google to continue their efforts at making governments work better for people. (Government Technology)
State and Local
- California's online campaign finance database has been offline for the past two weeks and the Secretary of State doesn't know when it will be back up. (Lobby Comply)
- A Missouri State Representative introduced a wide ranging ethics bill that would ban lobbyist gifts, strictly limit campaign contributions, and prohibit legislators from working as political consultants. (Lobby Comply)
2Day in #OpenGov 12/14/2011
Here is Wednesday's look at transparency-related news items, congressional committee hearings, transparency-related bills introduced in Congress, and transparency-related events. News Roundup: Government
- A new bill, the Whistleblower Improvement Act of 2011, will actually gut protections for whistleblowers included in the Dodd-Frank Act. (POGO)
- The Ohio House of Representatives approved a bill that would set criminal penalties for those misusing taxpayer money for political purposes. (Lobby Comply)
- Congress has blocked an Obama administration proposal that would have required companies to disclose people and organizations that they support politically when bidding for contracts. (Federal Computer Week)
Campaign Finance
- A Wisconsin campaign finance law that caps donations to state PACs at $10,000 has been ruled illegal by a circuit court. (Courthouse News)
- California is the first state in the nation to allow campaign contributions via text message. (Courthouse News)
- Newt Gingrich is getting some Super PAC support from a new group, Winning Our Future. The PAC is being formed by a longtime fundraiser for Gingrich's American Solutions for Winning the Future organization. (Politico)
Revolving Door
- The New Democrat Coalition is losing their press secretary to K Street. Natalie Thorpe Munoz is joining SKDKnickerbocker as a senior associate. (National Journal)
2Day in #OpenGov 12/13/2011
Here is the Tuesday's take on transparency-related news items, congressional committee hearings, transparency-related bills introduced in Congress, and transparency-related events. News Roundup: Access to Information
- The US recently released a new data management tool as part of their efforts to take data.gov global. The tool allows governments to upload, fact check, and manage their data. The next step is to build a visual component for the tool. (Executive Gov)
- A hackathon held last weekend in San Francisco aimed to promote open data and transparency in government. One notable tool that emerged would send out legislative alerts via text message. (Government Technology)
- The Cook County, Illinois deputy director of new media goes into detail about the launch of the county's open data portal, data.cookcountyil.gov, on Gov 2.0 Radio. (GovFresh)
Campaign Finance
- Democrats in the House and Senate have introduced resolutions that would blunt the Supreme Court's Citizens United decision and exclude corporations from "the rights given to natural persons." (Lobby Comply)
- A new PAC has emerged with a decidedly non partisan goal. The WUFPAC aims to elect women under the age of 40 to office, regardless of their party affiliation. (Roll Call $)
- Democrats and Republicans have accepted large contributions from MF Global, the bankrupt brokerage firm formerly headed by Ex-New Jersey Governor John Corzine (D). (Roll Call $)
International
- The European Commission announced the creation of an Open Data Strategy. The move comes after the UK and France have embraced open data initiatives. (techPresident)
2Day in #OpenGov 12/12/2011
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
- Last year, the Obama administration pledged to strengthen regulations on for-profit colleges. The industry responded by spending $16 million to lobby their case. The result: the Department of Education produced a weak plan that is likely to have much less impact that the administration initially planned. (New York Times)
- Former Representative and ambassador to India Tim Roemer (D-Ind.) joined public affairs firm APCO Worldwide as a senior vice president. (Roll Call $)
- The controversial Keystone XL pipeline has seen its fair share of lobbying, according to Senate records. 42 lobbying firms, associations, and companies have registered to lobby on the issue since 2009. (The Hill)
Campaign Finance
- Crossroads GPS, the outside group formed by Karl Rove, is preparing a $500,000 ad assault against Senator Ben Nelson (D-NE), who is still deciding if he will run for a third term. (National Journal)
Government
- Sen. Claire McCaskill (D-MO) released a report detailing earmarks included in this year's defense authorization bill. According to the report, the bill included 115 earmarks worth $834 million. (Washington Post)
- A new poll shows that the majority of average Americans think members of Congress have low honesty and ethical standards. The poll ranks members of Congress below telemarketers and lobbyists. (Politico)
2Day in #OpenGov 12/9/2011
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
- Independent political groups have already spent four times as much money on the 2012 GOP primary than at the same point in 2008. (Washington Post)
- A Pro-Mitt Romney Super PAC is preparing to pump even more money into the race. The PAC will launch a $3.1 million ad assault in Iowa. (Washington Post)
Access to Information
- Rep. Darrell Issa (R-CA) created an online storehouse for information on the Justice Department's controversial Fast and Furious program. (Politico)
- Rapper and businessman Jay-Z, with an estimated net worth of $500 million, expressed support for higher taxes on wealthy Americans, provided that the government institute "open accounting" standards so the public can be sure that the money is being spent on good causes. (Politico)
- House Republicans are concerned that the Obama administration is refusing to turn over documents relating to Supreme Court Justice Elena Kagan's role working on legal strategy related to the administration's health care law when she was Solicitor General. Conservative groups want Justice Kagan to recuse herself from ruling on health care cases. (Washington Times)
Lobbying
- Two senior hill aides at the center of the fight between Hollywood and Silicon Valley over online piracy legislation are stepping through the revolving door and heading for K street. Former aides to Lamar Smith (R-TX) and the Senate Judiciary Committee minority staff are joining the government affairs offices of two major media organizations. (Politico)
- The Hawaii Ethical Lobbying Association exists to promote ethics in lobbying and good government in the state. (Lobby Comply)
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