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: Super Committee
- Democratic lawmakers are becoming increasingly uncomfortable with the Super Committee, arguing that it is anti-democratic and lacking in transparency. (The Hill)
- San Francisco launched a mobile app this week. The city hopes to make it easier for citizens to access services and get help and information from the government. (Government Technology)
- We The People, the White House's online petition site, has proved popular. So popular, in fact, that the White House has been struggling to keep up the pace with their responses. (Federal Computer Week)
Campaign Finance
- After several slow years, the market for local television stations has picked up recently. Major increases in political ad spending are boosting revenue and making local stations more attractive to prospective buyers. (New York Times)
State and Local
- Ten months ago, Alabama passed a new ethics law, capping the amount of money lobbyists are allowed to spend on public officials. Since then the Alabama Ethics Commission has received nearly 200 exemption requests. (Lobby Comply)
- The 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals upheld North Carolina's ban on lobbyist contributions to candidates for the Legislature and Council of State. (Lobby Comply)
2Day in #OpenGov 11/8/2011
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: Campaign Finance
- American Crossroads filed an advisory opinion request with the FEC asking if independent expenditure-only PACs can use incumbent members of congress in their advertisements. The PAC admits that these ads would be intended to improve public perception of the member and seeks guidance as to how such ads might effect their ability to independently expend funds in support of the candidate. (Lobby Comply)
- A new pro-Rick Perry Super PAC has emerged. Texas Aggies for Perry 2012 seems likely to focus on raising money from people with connections to Texas A&M, Perry's Alma Mater. (Washington Post)
Lobbying
- Google's director of public policy and government affairs, Alan Davidson, is leaving his post after six and a half years. He was Google's first employee in DC and oversaw rapid growth in their government affairs operation. (Washington Post)
- A battle is brewing between internet retailers and more traditional "brick and mortar" companies. Traditional retailers, who collect state sales taxes, want internet retailers to be subject to the same rules. Several bills have been introduced to this end and both sides are marshaling their lobbying forces. (Politico)
- Many potential voters turn to the internet for information about polling places, issues, and candidates according to a recent poll by the Voting Info Project. The VIP aims to make this information easy to find through Google and other search engines. (techPresident)
- The National Archives and Records Administration is gearing up to launch a Citizen Archivist Dashboard in December. The Dashboard will allow volunteers to tag, transcribe and write articles about scanned NARA documents. They hope to engage regular citizens who have an interest in archival research. (Nextgov)
- Google has instituted a new search algorithm that may make it harder to find some government websites. The algorithm focuses heavily on newer content and could push pages that do not update very often down the list of search results. (Federal Computer Week)
- Code For America has videos of 13 CFA fellows demoing their apps at the October Code For America Summit. (govfresh)
2Day in #OpenGov 11/7/2011
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: Government
- The House Oversight and Government Reform Committee cleared the Government Results Transparency Act, which would "build a bridge between performance...and spending data," according to its sponsor, Frank Guinta (R-NH). (ExecutiveGov)
- Opinion: Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT) wants the federal reserve to be more transparent, and work for the American people, "not just the chief executive officers on Wall Street." (Politico)
Access to Information
- A draft White House memo released over the weekend would require federal agencies to disclose special funding requests from members of Congress. The White House presents the memo as part of its ongoing efforts to reduce earmarks and increase government openness and accountability. (National Journal)
- Last week, the Justice Department pulled a proposed rule that would have allowed them to mislead FOIA requesters about the existence of certain sensitive documents. Now, it appears that they may have been doing just that for the past 25 years. (POGO)
Lobbying
- One of House Minority Whip Steny Hoyer's (D-MD) top aides is heading to K Street. Stacey Farnen Bernards will become a vice president of government relations at Honeywell International. (Politico)
- Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) recently lost her communications director to the revolving door. Brendan Daly, who was Pelosi's messaging guru during the healthcare debate is now working for Ogilvy Government Relations. One of his clients is the Essential Health Benefits Coalition, a notable opponent of the healthcare law. (Politico)
- Jack Abramoff criticizes federal lobbying laws in his new autobiography. He doesn't think they are strong enough to keep special interest power in check. (Yahoo/AP)
2Day in #OpenGov 11/4/2011
Finish the week strong with Friday's look at transparency-related news items, congressional committee hearings, transparency-related bills introduced in Congress, and transparency-related events. News Roundup: Government
- The Justice department is dropping their controversial rule that would allow government officials to lie about the existence of certain records in response to FOIA requests. The rule had been met with skepticism from Republican Lawmakers as well as government watchdogs. (The Hill) Last week, our own John Wonderlich wrote about the many problems with DOJ's proposed rules.
- FEC commissioners faced tough questions from members of the House Administration Committee on their lack of transparency at a hearing yesterday. A coalition of good government groups took the opportunity to call on President Obama to reform the commission and install new commissioners. (Politico)
- The SEC Inspector General found that the agency's Enforcement Division routinely destroyed preliminary investigative files that should have been retained as federal records. The investigation confirmed allegations by whistleblower and SEC Enforcement attorney Darcy Flynn. (POGO)
- The House Oversight and Government Affairs Committee favorably reported the Government Results Transparency Act, H.R. 3262, to the full House. The bill would amend the DATA Act to require agencies to post performance information on specific programs. (Government Executive)
- California shut down a government transparency website. The site was launched under Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, but hadn't been updated since he left office in January. The information is still available online, but at different locations. (Government Technology)
Ethics
- The House Ethics Committee has voted to move forward with their investigation of Rep. Laura Richardson (D-CA) despite her best efforts to convince them not to. The committee will look into allegations that Richardson threatened to fire members of her congressional staff if they did not work on her campaign. (Politico)
- During his tenure as Governor of Texas, Rick Perry has taken over 200 free flights from corporate executives and wealthy donors. Many of these flights involved government business, sometimes related to the planes' owners. (New York Times)
2Day in #OpenGov 11/3/2011
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: Government
- Darrell Issa (R-CA) and Elijah Cummings (D-MD) introduced H.R. 3289, the House version of the Whistleblower Protection Enhancement Act, this week. The House Oversight and Government Reform Committee considered the bill this morning and reported it to the full House. (POGO)
- John Boehner (R-OH) defended the transparency of the appropriations process during his tenure as Speaker of the House, but refused to commit to open rules on 2012 spending bills. (Roll Call $)
- Representative Laura Richardson (D-CA) has sent a private letter to all 10 members of the House Ethics Committee in an attempt to convince them not to proceed with an investigation into claims that she pressured her congressional staff to engage in banned political activities. (Politico)
- Several former lobbyists came through the revolving door to join Rep. Fred Upton (R-MI) when he took control of the House Energy and Commerce Committee in January. Nine current Republican staff on the committee have been through the revolving door at some point. (Legistorm)
Campaign Finance
- Regulators are considering new rules that would increase the disclosure requirements for online political ads. The number of online ads has rocketed upwards since the Citizens United decision. (National Journal)
- Broadcasters are concerned about proposed FCC rules that would require them to post information about their political advertisers online. Broadcasters are currently required to keep paper records of the information at local stations. (Ad Age)
State and Local
- The 2011 Digital Cities Survey spotlights municipalities that best show how information and communication technology are used to enhance public service. Among this years honorees are Honolulu, Hawaii and Eden Prairie, Minnesota. (Government Technology)
- Palm Beach County, FL is considering new lobbying rules. The changes would create a countywide lobbyist registry and standardize rules for the 38 municipalities that make up Palm Beach County. (Lobby Comply)
- Over $9 million was spent in Michigan on state Supreme Court elections in 2009-2010, the most in the nation, according to a new report. Other top spenders were Pennsylvania and Ohio. (Michigan Lawyer)
2Day in #OpenGov 11/2/2011
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 group of Senate Democrats has introduced a constitutional amendment that would grant Congress and the states the ability to better regulate political fundraising and spending. (Yahoo/Daily Caller)
- The Commission on Wartime Contracting successfully identified up to $60 billion in contracting related waste and fraud in Iraq and Afghanistan, held 25 hearings, released 8 reports, published detailed recommendations on how to protect against waste in the future, and operated on a bipartisan basis. So, their decision to seal internal records for 20 years is out of character and upsetting to watchdog groups. (POGO)
Lobbying
- Four people have moved through the revolving door between Jim Clyburn's (D-S.C.) office and the Podesta Group. (Legistorm)
- The Hill has a roundup of recent changes in the lobbying world. Highlights include a White House special assistant joining Planned Parenthood as vice president for public policy and government relations.
State and Local
- On November 8, Detroit residents will vote on a new City Charter. The Charter aims to cut into corruption by strengthening the City Council's power to remove the mayor, imposing new ethics rules, tightening financial reporting requirements and creating a watchdog to oversee the mayor and his administration. (Wall Street Journal$)
- Philadelphia Mayor, Michael Nutter, signed a revised version of the city's lobbying law. The revision more narrowly defines lobbying activity and covers more city agencies. (Lobby Comply)
- The Riverside County, CA Board of Supervisors has approved an ordinance that would make electronic campaign finance disclosure mandatory for local candidates, candidate committees, and independent committees that raise more than $5,000. (Lobby Comply)
Ethics
- A new study by University of Missouri economist Harvey James found that people with a low tolerance for unethical activity tend to have higher levels of satisfaction with life. (Miller-McCune)
Congressional Websites Have Improved, But Still Lack Transparency
Policy Fellow Matt Rumsey wrote this post. The Congressional Management Foundation announced its Golden Mouse Awards for the 112th Congress on... View Article
Continue reading2Day in #OpenGov 11/1/2011
Welcome in November with a look at the day's transparency-related news items, congressional committee hearings, transparency-related bills introduced in Congress, and transparency-related events. News Roundup: Government
- Legislators are going to have to avoid some strong blocking from lobbyists if they want to tackle tax reform. Most corporate groups say they support tax reform, but every tax break has a supporter prepared to fight to keep it in place. (The Hill)
- OMB Scorecards related to agency implementation of sustainability policies are not an effective transparency tool or means of informing the public, according to a new paper published by an American University professor in conjunction with the IBM Center for the Business of Government. (Fierce Government)
- Herman Cain has asked a lawyer to investigate reports that he might have used a tax-exempt charity to help his presidential campaign get started. The charity was started by Cain's chief and deputy chief of staff. (Yahoo/AP)
- A former aid to Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-VA) has launched the YG Action Fund PAC. The PAC will promote the "center-right" ideals of the Young Guns movement that Cantor helped launch. (Roll Call $)
- A pro-Rick Perry super PAC has its first ads up in South Carolina and Iowa. They are spending nearly $400,000 on their first salvo. (Politico)
State and Local
- Many state and local governments have deferred or denied transparency measures because they are struggling to cover the costs. (Government Technology)
- Ten months after Alabama passed sweeping ethics reform, lobbyists and legislators are dealing with some significant changes in the way they do business. (Lobby Comply)
2Day in #OpenGov 10/31/2011
Happy Halloween! Here is Monday's look at transparency-related news items, congressional committee hearings, transparency-related bills introduced in Congress, and transparency-related events. News Roundup: Government
- The Council of the Inspectors General on Integrity and Efficiency held its 14th annual awards ceremony last week, honoring a broad range of watchdogs. (Federal Times)
- A new report outlines factors agencies should consider when developing mobile websites and apps, finding that agencies frequently put too much focus on getting apps online at the expense of ensuring that users have a successful experience using them. (GovTech)
- The Obama Administration is seeking an independent audit of the Energy Department loans made to the failed company Solyndra, while the Republican-led House Energy Committee has threatened to subpoena related White House records. (iWatch News)
Lobbying
- The Justice Department has stepped up enforcement of the Foreign Agents Registration Act. (The Hill)
- Obama's strict "no lobbyists" promises have turned him into a hypocrite. (National Journal)
- Senator Rob Portman's (R-Ohio) current chief of staff has gone back and forth through the revolving door several times. Most recently, he was making $440,000 as a lobbyist at Squire Sanders and Dempsey and had previously served as Portman's chief of staff in the House of Representatives. (Legistorm)
Campaign Finance
- iWatch News investigated the tricky line that 501(c)(4) organizations have to walk between issue spending and political spending.
Tech
- Civic Commons Managing Director Nick Grossman presents on "The Opportunity for Civic Startups." (GovFresh)
State and Local
- State Rep. Terry Spicer is the fourth Alabama state representative to plead guilty to bribery as part of a federal investigation of gambling corruption at the statehouse. (The Republic)
- A county judge has rejected an Arizona measure intended to ban the spending of public funds for certain candidates. The judge claimed that it was unconstitutional, as it focused on more than one subject. (AZ Central)
- Montana's commissioner of political practices has plans to regulate a fast-growing component of campaigns: social media. (Missoulian)
- Nevada's Commission on Ethics is struggling to handle a heavy case load with too few resources. (Las Vegas Sun)
2Day in #OpenGov 10/28/2011
You made it to Friday! Celebrate with 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
- A new study on corporate political disclosure and accountability ranks S&P 100 companies on the way they disclose and manage their political spending. Lowest on the list are Disney, Amazon, and Berkshire Hathaway. IBM and Merck ranked near the top. (Politico)
- Registered lobbyists have been donating to Republican presidential candidates, but not in large enough amounts to represent a significant percentage of any candidate's take. (National Journal)
- The dwindling House Blue Dog caucus, full of moderate Democrats, is gearing up for a tough election cycle. They have jumped head first into fundraising, outpacing more liberal Democrats as well as their own hauls from 2010. (Politico)
- Super PACs are siphoning money, talent, and purpose from the national party committees. The committees have long dominated the American election process, but are seeing their influence wane in the post Citizens United world. (Politico)
- President Obama has spoken in opposition to the Citizens United decision, but he takes full advantage of its provisions when fundraising. In an interview with Politico Martin Frost, a former Democratic Congressman, stated that he doesn't see this as hypocritical. (Politico)
Revolving Door
- Senator John Kyl (R-AZ) often takes advantage of the revolving door when looking for top staff, according to Legistorm. The site is conducting a three week series on the revolving door ties of Super Committee members. (Legistorm)
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