Here is this week's review of tweets deleted by U.S. politicians caught and archived by Politwoops.
Continue readingSunlight files FOIA request for full list of agency databases
The Sunlight Foundation has filed a new FOIA request, seeking information on which agencies truly complied with the White House's open data executive order -- and which are keeping their data secret.
Continue readingOpenGov Voices: How an Open Source Candidate can Save the US House of Representatives
House members need a low-cost way to get elected, that also increases their bargaining power to deal with special interests. We can achieve this today, through the Open Source Candidate pledge and ProxiCast voting technology.
Continue readingToday in #OpenGov 12/6/2013
A group is planning to walk across New Hampshire to push eventual presidential candidates to answer the question: "What are YOU going to do to end corruption in Washington?" Would you join NH Rebellion?
Continue readingToday in #OpenGov 12/5/2013
Recent revelations suggest that Ottawa waffled between an open data competition and a traditional contractor to build their new smart phone traffic app. They eventually chose the contractor, who charged $95,000 for a disappointing product. Womp womp.
Continue readingMontgomery County’s Open Data Town Hall, the Town Hall of the Future
On Thursday November 21st, Montgomery County, Maryland hosted an Open Data Town Hall to solicit feedback from citizens about what data they would like to see prioritized for release online under Montgomery County’s open data law.
Continue readingScout Delivering Court Opinions Through the Awe-Inspiring Power of CourtListener
[Scout](https://scout.sunlightfoundation.com/), Sunlight Foundation's government search and alert system, is now delivering daily alerts on [federal court opinions](https://scout.sunlightfoundation.com/search/court_opinions/citizens%20united). Court opinions will be included by default — along with regulations, legislation, speeches, and reports — for any alert based on search terms.
Continue readingNew Knight Foundation Report Reveals How Civic Tech is Funded
Today, the Knight Foundation, along with the data analytics firm Quid, released a fascinating analysis analyzing the financial investment in nonprofits and for-profit organizations that create civic technology apps and platforms through technology. If you include many of the new P2P platforms such as AirBnB and the like (which are private businesses not primarily focused on promoting civic outcomes), there has been a whopping $430 million invested in civic technology, including open government organizations. (Full disclosure, the Sunlight Foundation has received several grants from the Knight Foundation.) It is concerning that the bulk of venture capital and other non-philanthropic investment in civic technology goes toward companies whose primary goals are not to empower citizens in democratic engagement nor to foster government openness and accountability.
The big picture presented by Knight and Quid shows that there is momentum in growing an echelon of financial investors to buttress the nascent civic start-up movement. This peek behind the curtain of the philanthropic and commercial investment world is welcome transparency and very helpful analysis. Continue readingToday in #OpenGov 12/4/2013
National News
- The Office of Congressional Ethics is five years old and, despite heavy criticism from both sides of the aisle, doesn't appear to be going anywhere. Click the link for more detail, but be prepared for the ad that is set to play automatically at an annoyingly high volume. (The Hill)
- Campaign finance reform group United Republic did some polling and found that support for campaign finance reform, already strong, jumps to over 70 percent when changes to the legal structure are pitched as "anti-corruption laws". (Public Integrity)
- Today in things that make you go "Did he really just say that?" Senator Chuck Schumer (D-NY) told an interviewer for the New Republic that he offered to go easy on Scott Brown (R-MA) in the 2012 election in exchange for a "yes" vote from Brown on the DISCLOSE Act. Brown, apparently, said no and the bill eventually went down to a slim defeat. Meanwhile, Elizabeth Warren knocked Brown from the seat in 2012. Could Chuck have stopped her if he'd tried? Your guess is as good as mine. ( Washington Post)
- Transparency International released their 2013 Corruption Perceptions Index yesterday. The report, which tracks how corrupt countries are perceived to be, shows widespread belief that countries are super corrupt, with more than two-thirds scoring less than 50 out of 100 possible points. (Tech President)
- Amsterdam, Barcelona, and San Francisco are teaming up on a new data sharing platform, called Cityzenith 5D Smart City. The cities are hoping to pool resources and share best practices. (Future Gov)
- New York State's Moreland Commission issued their report into the "pay-to-play" political culture in the state on Monday night. The report, commissioned by Governor Andrew Cuomo, focuses mainly on problems in the legislature and recommends a host of changes, many suggested by good government groups. (NY Daily News)
- A brief review of "The Foundation for an Open Source City," that looks at the topic through the lens of the author's experiences in Raleigh, North Carolina. (govfresh)
DC Approves Campaign Finance Reforms
In a legislative meeting today, DC council members unanimously approved a bill that moves campaign finance in the District toward greater transparency. The legislation requires electronic filing of campaign finance information and the publication of that information online within 24 hours -- language that Sunlight's local team recommended in the bill's drafting process.
Councilmember Kenyan McDuffie, who moved the bill through Council, thanked Sunlight for our role in this win for transparency:
Thanks also to the @SunFoundation for their input on transparency reforms that are cornerstone of this DC campaign finance reform
— Kenyan R. McDuffie (@CM_McDuffie) December 3, 2013
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