NEWS:
- It's official, reported lobbying by firms dedicated to the task was down almost 4% during the first quarter of 2013. Overall, lobbying appears to be down slightly more than 1% over the fourth quarter of 2012. (Roll Call)
- There has always been a healthy traffic flow between high level Washington operatives and high paying jobs on Wall Street, but recently volume has picked up significantly. Major banks including Goldman Sachs, Credit Suisse, Citigroup, and more are turning to Washington for talent, reversing a trend that often saw policy makers looking to Wall Street for economic understanding. (POLITICO)
- There is a progressive revolt being staged against Facebook. A number of liberal groups are upset with the way that Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg's political group, FWD.us, is approaching the immigration debate and are pulling their ads from Facebook to show their disapproval. (Tech President) Continue reading
A timeline of immigration policy in the United States
As the Senate Judiciary Committee on Thursday begins readying a sweeping bipartisan immigration bill for floor action, it's worth remembering why the issue stirs up such heated emotions in the U.S. Congress. A look at some of the landmark legislation enacted over the past century shows that the nation has spent much of its history arguing over who should be allowed to become an American.
How to make sense of immigration lobbying
The real immigration fight is now about to begin.
As the Senate Judiciary Committee begins working on the Border Security, Economic Opportunity and Immigration Modernization Act of 2013, we still think the best field guide to the fight about to erupt over the 844-page bill remains our March 25 analysis, entitled “Untangling the webs of immigration lobbying" Here is the network analysis we produced back then (click for the interactive version):
Figure 1. Immigration Lobbying in Congress
Click here for our interactive network guide to the most active interests, what issues they care about, and how intensely they are lobbying
Whom Mark Sanford owes
Some big investors got a nice payoff Tuesday when Mark Sanford, South Carolina's disgraced former governor, won back his old House seat.
As Sanford acknowledged in his victory speech Tuesday night in Charleston, he's got a lot to be thankful for. The list could include more than $200,000 in late donations from big Republican donors and interests who bet that the ex-South Carolina governor could overcome a sex scandal and get his political career on track. The group includes 47 organizations and out-of-state givers -- a number of them with ties to the financial industry and libertarian causes ...
Continue reading2Day in #OpenGov 3/8/2013
NEWS:
- Now that Mark "I'm back!" Sanford has revived his political career all eyes are likely to turn to the race in Massachusetts to fill John Kerry's seat. After early polls suggest that the young GOP candidate may be competitive against the Democratic nominee Karl Rove's American Crossroads is looking to spend money on the race. It remains to be seen if other outside groups will join them. (The Hill)
- The insurance industry is lobbying hard for the federal government to approve more disaster aid for states that boost their building codes. The BuildStrong Coalition hopes that Congress will pass legislation before the summer storm season begins. (The Hill)
- Support from Washington, DC based groups wasn't enough to push Elizabeth "I lost to that guy?!" Colbert Busch over the finish line and into the House of Representatives. Despite this outside spending advantage, Colbert Busch was thoroughly trounced by her deeply flawed opponent Mark Sanford. (Public Integrity) Continue reading
TransparencyCamp 2013: Wrapping Up the Best Year Yet
Every year at about this time -- just days after our hallmark community event, TransaprencyCamp -- we kick up our heels, shake our heads, and think, “That was our best event yet.” But this year, we really mean it. TransparencyCamp 2013 was different from its predecessors. Not only was it our largest TCamp to-date -- with a chart-topping 500 participants from over 25 countries and 33 states* -- but it was also our strongest. More than a reunion of old friends fighting the same fight, this TransparencyCamp was a veritable democratic laboratory, with scientists from different backgrounds, countries and creeds coming together to share their experiments, find collaborators, and bring new ideas back home for testing and tweaking. We’ll have some more reflections and behind the scenes views in the days ahead, but first, we wanted to share with you a closer at the weekend.
Continue readingPlease Vote for Sunlight’s “Civic Hacking in Pursuit of Democracy” Video
Here’s an appeal for our readers: please help Sunlight spread the news of the great work civic hackers do as far and wide as possible by voting for our storytelling video in the Looking@Democracy contest organized by the Illinois Humanities Council with support from the MacArthur Foundation. (Voting ends May 16.) We couldn’t wait to tell this (previously) untold story through a short video to demonstrate how the nascent movement of civic hackers are creating apps and tools using open government data to make their communities better. These men and women are equipped with laptops, open data and creative ideas to positively reconstruct the way we relate with government.
Continue readingKey elements of food safety law stuck at White House regulatory agency
Regulations designed to improve food safety have been languishing in an obscure White House office.
Continue reading2Day in #OpenGov 5/7/2013
NEWS:
- The Information Technology Industry Council just picked up two high profile members. Samsung and Facebook join Apple, Google, Microsoft and more as members of the group, which will likely lobby on privacy, cybersecurity, and more for the companies. (The Hill)
- Lobbyists have been deregistering in waves over the past couple of years and there are a number of reasons why. Planning, PR, grassroots lobbying, and buying TV ads have all become more common place and don't have to be reported. Meanwhile, the Obama administration's open disdain for lobbyists has driven some more into the shadows. (NPR)
- Lobbyists like to build up their contributions to help build their relationships with members of Congress. The trend is apparent with a number of freshman and their lobbyist bank-rollers. (Roll Call) Continue reading
Mayors Against Illegal Guns hits the airwaves in N.H and Pa.
Mayors Against Illegal Guns, the pro-gun control group backed by New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, is not giving up the fight.
Three weeks after the Senate rejected legislation offered in the wake of the December shooting massacre that left 26 people dead at a Connecticut elementary school, the group is launching what appears to be a high-priced ad campaign to keep the pressure on lawmakers.
The ad seen above attacks Sen. Kelly Ayotte, a New Hampshire Republican who was the lone lawmaker from the Northeast to vote against the gun control measure; another advertisement praises Sen. Pat Toomey, a ...
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