The Supreme Court’s decision in the Citizens United v. FEC case has rendered 24 state election laws unconstitutional. The 5-4 ruling in favor of Citizens United reversed a provision of the McCain-Feingold act that prohibited any electioneering communication—defined as advertising via broadcast, cable or satellite that is paid for by corporations or labor unions. Many states have acted fast to counter corporations’ ability to spend endless amounts of money to influence elections by passing laws that force disclosure of all independent expenditures in near real time. The Sunlight Foundation Reporting Group has decided to report what each of ...
Continue readingCitizens United: Colorado’s response
The Supreme Court’s decision in the Citizens United v. FEC case has rendered 24 state election laws unconstitutional. The 5-4 ruling in favor of Citizens United reversed a provision of the McCain-Feingold act that prohibited any electioneering communication—defined as advertising via broadcast, cable or satellite that is paid for by corporations or labor unions. Many states have acted fast to counter corporations’ ability to spend endless amounts of money to influence elections by passing laws that force disclosure of all independent expenditures in near real time. The Sunlight Foundation Reporting Group has decided to report what each of ...
Continue readingCitizens United: South Dakota’s response
The Supreme Court’s decision in the Citizens United v. FEC case has rendered 24 state election laws unconstitutional. The 5-4 ruling in favor of Citizens United reversed a provision of the McCain-Feingold act that prohibited any electioneering communication—defined as advertising via broadcast, cable or satellite that is paid for by corporations or labor unions. Many states have acted fast to counter corporations’ ability to spend endless amounts of money to influence elections by passing laws that force disclosure of all independent expenditures in near real time. The Sunlight Foundation Reporting Group has decided to report what each of ...
Continue readingCitizens United: Arizona’s response
The Supreme Court’s decision in the Citizens United v. FEC case has rendered 24 state election laws unconstitutional.The 5-4 ruling in favor of Citizens United reversed a provision of the McCain-Feingold act that prohibited any electioneering communication—defined as advertising via broadcast, cable or satellite that is paid for by corporations or labor unions.Many states have acted fast to counter corporations’ ability to spend endless amounts of money to influence elections by passing laws that force disclosure of all independent expenditures in near real time. The Sunlight Foundation Reporting Group has decided to report what each of ...
Continue readingBP had no plan for Deepwater Horizon disaster
British Petroleum did not have an emergency response plan for its Deepwater Horizon drill rig; such plans direct personnel to the proper procedures for responding to incidents like the current spill in the Gulf of Mexico.
In testimony before the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee on May 19, Liz Birnbaum, the former Director of the Minerals Management Service (MMS) who resigned yesterday morning, said the reason that BP did not complete an Oil Spill Response Plan was a reported decrease in the rig’s “worst-case scenario discharge” from 250,000 barrels a day to 160,000.
BP calculated the volume ...
Senate approves financial reform in a late night vote
The Senate passed sweeping financial reform legislation last night, aimed at keeping the financial sector from collapsing as it did in 2008. The final vote was 59-39, with four Republicans joining the majority party to get the bill through. Two Democrats remained opposed to the bill, saying the Senate measure didn't include tough enough regulations.
Republican Senators Olympia Snowe and Susan Collins from Maine, Chuck Grassley from Iowa, and Scott Brown from Massachusetts all voted yes, with Grassley saying that this bill sends a message to Wall Street.
"There’s no question this bill has flaws," Grassley said. "Big ...
Financial reform moves to Senate vote
After a second procedural vote this afternoon, the Senate was able to shut down debate on S. 3217, Restoring American Financial Stability. Exactly three-fifths of the senate, including 3 Republicans, voted in favor of the motion, which passed 60-40. Two Democrats voted no.
It is likely that the final vote on the bill will be as early as tomorrow.
The newly elected senator from Massachusetts, Scott Brown, joined the two Republican Senators from Maine, Olympia Snowe and Susan Collins, in delivering yes votes. In a statement, Brown said he was assured by Sen. Reid, D-Nev., that “the issues related to ...
Financial reform regulation held up by its own creators
Last night’s vote by the Senate to end the debate on S. 3217, Restoring American Financial Stability, failed 57-42 with two majority party senators voting no; we'll be following the proceedings as events warrant on Sunlight Live.
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev, planned to end the debate yesterday, preventing any more amendments from being added to the bill, and moving forward with final debate and a vote on the bill itself. Reid will instead have to attempt cloture once again--most likely later today.
Among the Democrats who dissented were Sen. Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., and Sen. Russ Feingold ...
The Fed’s growing again, overseas
Earlier this week, the Federal Reserve reopened one of the special lending windows it created in January 2009 to ease the failing global economy. The move comes amid a weakening euro and after Greece, Spain and Portugal have all created austerity packages to help fix their struggling economies.
These currency swaps are a sign that the global economy is still far from stable two years after the financial meltdown of 2008.
The Fed has already infused five foreign central banks with $1.3 billion through a process called central bank liquidity swaps in order to reduce the possibility of any ...
Moran requests funds for alternative medicine center
Rep. Jim Moran, D-Va., a member of the House Appropriations Committee, has requested a $1.5 million earmark
to fund an alternative medicine center in Washington D.C. run by a
doctor with an alternative past. The request is for the FY 2011
Department of Defense budget and will go to the Center for Mind-Body
Medicine, run by Dr. James Gordon.
The money would fund a
program that is aimed at helping health professionals in the military
maintain their mental and physical abilities in order for them to
effectively and continually help troops suffering from post traumatic
stress disorder, depression ...
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