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2Day in #OpenGov 11/28/2011

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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: Government

  • A new index ranks federal agency websites for readability, transparency, and clarity. The Bureau of Labor Statistics topped the index, with the Federal Railroad Administration came in last. (Federal Computer Week)
  • Open government data is getting some mainstream attention from sources like NPR and the AP. (gov 2.0)
  • Pentagon Inspector General Gordon Heddell announced that he will step down on Christmas Eve. Heddell has been credited with guiding his office with a steady hand and healing some internal problems. (POGO)
Access to Information
  • The Federal Reserve lent banks a combined $1.2 trillion on December, 5 2008. Three years later, the details of these bailouts are emerging. (Bloomberg)
  • President Obama has ordered federal agencies to make better use of digital record keeping systems. Obama stated that the move would give "the American public...access to clear and accurate information about the decisions and actions of the federal government." (Washington Post)
Lobbying
  • Advocates for America's national parks are not being left out of the post-Super-Committee lobbying rush. In the face of automatic cuts they are planning Hill visits and spending large sums in proportion with their share of the budget. (Roll Call $)
  • Two researchers have outlined a proposal to expand lobbying transparency. They argue that publishing lobbying data online would "promote competition and a vibrant democratic process". (POGO)

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2Day in #OpenGov 11/22/2011

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Here is Tuesday's look at transparency-related news items, congressional committee hearings, transparency-related bills introduced in Congress, and transparency-related events. News Roundup: Lobbying

  • Religious advocacy groups have expanded rapidly over the past 40 years, according to a new report by the Pew Forum on Religious and Public Life. These groups spend hundreds of millions of dollars every year lobbying for issues like school vouchers, immigration, and abortion. (Washington Post)
  • South Korean auto makers accelerated their lobbying activity over the past few years. Meanwhile, American, German, and Japanese companies have tapped the breaks on their government affairs spending. (Politico)
  • The failure of the Super Committee might provide a boost in business to Washington's lobbyists. The automatic cuts triggered by the committee's failure won't start until 2013, giving lobbyists plenty of time to fight them. Meanwhile, a number of programs that may have been included in a Super Committee plan will have to be dealt with in the coming months. (The Hill)
Access to Information
  • The Office of Government Information Services submitted recommendations for improving how agencies handle government wide FOIA requests more than nine months ago. They are still awaiting approval by the OMB. (Nextgov)
  • A new site, NewsTransparency , claims it aims to provide wikipedia-style information about journalists. Critics claim it is just a "conservative way of criticizing the so-called liberal media." (Politico)

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2Day in #OpenGov 11/21/2011

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Here is the short week's first look at transparency-related news items, congressional committee hearings, transparency-related bills introduced in Congress, and transparency-related events. News Roundup: Government

  • The Office of Federal Procurement Policy is teaming up with the Small Business Administration to streamline and improve the quality of small business contracting data. (Federal Computer Week)
  • 20 major companies that have spent over $1 billion lobbying for a repatriation tax holiday stand to make a 14,000 percent return on their investment if the measure is approved. (National Journal)
  • Congress is teaming up with Facebook developers for the first ever Congressional Facebook Developer Hackathon. The event aims to examine how social media can interact with legislative data and constituent communications. (National Journal)
Access to Information
  • The U.S. government launched a public registry of unclassified information that still requires safeguards. There are more than 100 policies across the executive branch dealing with this type of information. The registry is a first step towards administering it in a more efficient way. (POGO)
  • Aides to Mitt Romney wiped computer servers after he left office as governor of Massachusetts, making it impossible to retrieve email records from his administration. Last week, Romney stated that his aides followed the letter of the law. (National Journal)
Campaign Finance
  • A conservative PAC is fighting a Washington state law that bans PACs from contributing more than $5,000 to a campaign within three weeks of an election. They argue that the law limits their speech. (Courthouse News)
State and Local
  • The Washington, DC Council is set to consider an ethics reform bill. The legislation would create a Board of Ethics and Government Accountability, set new financial disclosure rules, and more heavily regulate transition, inaugural, and constituent service funds. (Washington Post)
  • The Connecticut Office of State Ethics fined the executive director of Connecticut Working Families $10,000 for failing to wear proper identification while lobbying during the 2010 election cycle. (Lobby Comply)

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2Day in #OpenGov 11/18/2011

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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: Government

  • Henry Waxman (D-CA), ranking member of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, introduced an amendment to an FCC reform bill aimed at making the agency more transparent. If passed, the FCC would have to post consumer complaints about communications companies online on a monthly basis. (National Journal)
  • Spencer Bachus (R-AL), chairman of the House Financial Services, will hold hearings on the STOCK act. The act is aimed at curbing insider trading by members of Congress. Bachus has recently faced allegations of improper trading. (Politico)
Technology
  • The FEC issued an advisory opinion approving GivingSphere's plan to collect and distribute funds to candidates, committees, and PACs via their mobile-based giving platform. Currently, GivingSphere focuses on charitable donations. (Lobby Comply)
  • VoterTide collects and presents data on the performance of political candidates on various social media networks. (Lobby Comply)
Campaign Finance
  • The 15 freshman members of the Tea Party Caucus are turning to the usual suspects when seeking campaign cash. Combined, they have raised almost $3.5 million from almost 700 PACs, including many traditional Republican supporters. (iWatchNews)
  • Labor groups have been giving less money than usual to members of Congress this cycle and a higher percentage of their donations are going to Republicans. (Politico)
State and Local
  • Charles County, MD has passed an ethics ordinance as mandated by the state, but not before removing an amendment that would have added stricter campaign finance and reporting requirements. The county commission plans to take up campaign finance and reporting in the future. (Lobby Comply)
  • A judge has ordered Hawaii Governor Neil Abercrombie to release a list of state supreme court nominees proposed by the state's Judicial Selection Commission. Abercrombie had argued that releasing the list would deter potential judges from seeking nomination. (Courthouse News)

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2Day in #OpenGov 11/17/2011

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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: Presidential Candidates

  • Newt Gingrich earned more than $1.6 million from Freddie Mac during the height of the housing crisis. He claims that he never lobbied for the company, but did not address reports that he was tasked with building bridges to congressional Republicans and developing an argument in favor of Freddie Mac's public-private structure that would resonate with conservatives. (National Journal)
  • A new ad from a pro Jon Huntsman Super PAC illustrates the close ties that exist between candidates and the "independent" committees supporting them. Our Destiny PAC's chief strategist helped create some of Huntsman's earliest commercials and may have violated the FEC's 120 day "cooling off" period before leaving the Huntsman campaign to work for the PAC. (Washington Post)
Government
  • Vice President Biden will be attending a meeting of the Government Accountability and Transparency board today. The meeting is closed to the press. (Politico)
  • Sen. Tom Coburn (R-OK) reports that Congress has been shirking its oversight responsibilities. Coburn also criticized potential cuts to the Government Accountability Office, which is trying to maintain its pace of investigations with fewer resources. (Washington Times)
  • Opinion: the upcoming Supreme Court arguments on health-care reform are a prime opportunity to start allowing cameras in the courtroom and televising proceedings. (Miller-McCune)
State and Local
  • A Philadelphia law requiring lobbyist registration will go into effect on January 3, 2012. (Lobby Comply)

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2Day in #OpenGov 11/16/2011

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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

  • The GPO has released its first mobile application. The app aims to provide the public with quick, easy access to information on members of Congress and is based on the GPO's guide to House and Senate members. (FDLP News)
  • Judicial Watch released emails that show Supreme Court Justice Elena Kagan discussing President Obama's healthcare law when she was Solicitor General. Judicial Watch suggests that Kagan should recuse herself from court decisions relating to the law, but if she did not discuss its constitutionality it might not be necessary. (Washington Post)
  • The House Ethics Committee is on the verge of deciding if they will formally investigate allegations that Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. (D-Ill) improperly tried to obtain President Obama's Senate seat. (The Hill)
Lobbying
  • Former Rep. Zach Space (D-Ohio) has joined Vorys Advisors. The consulting firm is led by David Hobson (R), another former member of Congress from Ohio. (Roll Call $)
  • Rumors that the Super Committee might target tax deductions has lobbyists preparing for battle. If a plan is sent to Congress major lobbying groups are expected to launch campaigns to save their preferred deductions. (The Hill)
Campaign Finance
  • A new report shows that chairman and ranking members accept large amounts of money from industries under the purview of their committees. (Roll Call $)
State and Local
  • Wayne County, Michigan hopes to have a comprehensive ethics ordinance in place by February. The ordinance aims to set enhanced standards for official conduct and improve disclosure requirements. (Lobby Comply)
  • The Minnesota Campaign Finance and Public Disclosure Board released a memo concerning electronic filing of campaign reports. Electronic filing will be mandatory in Minnesota for most committees in the 2012 calendar year. (Lobby Comply)

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2Day in #OpenGov 11/10/2011

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This week is a short one, enjoy its end with Thursday's look at transparency-related news items, congressional committee hearings, transparency-related bills introduced in Congress, and transparency-related events. News Roundup: Super Committee

  • Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) called for the Super Committee to open its doors last night on the Daily Show with Jon Stewart. (Politico)
  • Sen. Pat Toomey (R-PA) has a healthy fundraising schedule for November, with at least 4 events planned, including one to celebrate his 50th birthday. (National Journal)
  • Sen. Patty Murray's Washington state staff has a retreat planned for this week. It is being held at the offices of Strategies 360, a major Washington lobbying firm. (National Journal)
Government
  • Users are having trouble finding government information on the internet. Better search systems might help remedy the problem. (Federal Computer Week)
  • Senators Jim Webb (D-VA) and Claire McCaskill (D-MO) have called on the nation's Archivist to make the Commission on Wartime Contracting's records publicly available. The records are currently sealed for 20 years. (POGO)
Campaign Finance
  • Americans Elect, a group dedicated to electing a third party presidential candidate, is being targeted by campaign finance watchdogs for its tax-exempt status. Watchdogs are accusing the organization, along with Republican groups Crossroads GPS and American Action Network and Democratic group Priorities USA, of being too political for tax-exempt status. (Roll Call $)

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