Calling all open government, journalism and data geeks. Please join Sunlight and friends in a bicoastal hackathon on the campuses of Stanford University and Columbia University on Feb 2-3, 2013. Registration is now open.
Together, we will tackle how to create apps and sites that show what 2012’s political spending spree will mean for policy in 2013 and beyond.
Register now.
Do you write code or work with data? Do you want to learn how or enhance your skills? Join us to mine data for stories and visualizations that will help understand how money affects the issues that Congress and state legislatures will be taking up this year. Showcase your skills and knowledge and compete to win prizes.
DISCLOSE Developments
Representative Van Hollen reintroduced the DISCLOSE Act in the House, marking his continued support for legislation that would shine a... View Article
Continue readingCreating Tools for Civic Engagement and providing a home for activists and hacktivists
Disclaimer: The opinions expressed by the guest blogger and those providing comments are theirs alone and do not reflect the opinions of the Sunlight 
Foundation or any employee thereof. Sunlight Foundation is not responsible for the accuracy of any of the information within the guest blog.
Tom Tresser is the Chief Tool Builder at the CivicLab. He teaches civic engagement, public policy and creativity at several local universities. In 2009 he was a co-leader of the No Games Chicago campaign and in 2010 he was the Green Party candidate for Cook County Board President.
Wouldn’t it be great to have a place to connect with activists, practitioners of civic engagement, inventors and artists interested in social change? A place that is a combination of a lab, a lounge, a theater, a clubhouse and a school for social change. In Chicago there isn’t one that combines all this in a storefront space with a grassroots vibe that invites people to walk in and connect. A gang of like-minded civic scientists and makers are well into the process of designing and launching one!
The CivicLab will be civic maker space. Think of Pumping Station One meets FreeGeek meets 1871 meets the Knitting Factory with a dash of open source tool making and the Little Red School House plus CommuniTeach.
Chicago is the home of modern community organizing and has also been a hotspot of innovation and research. We want to be a meeting space where old school organizers and educators can meet with new school technologists and designers to do research, teach civics, and build tools that accelerate social change and community improvement efforts.
2Day in #OpenGov 1/4/2013
NEWS ROUNDUP:
- Nearly 100 ethics cases in 2012: The House Ethics Committee reviewed 95 cases in 2012 and handled at least 40,000 informal requests for guidance, among other tasks. (Roll Call)
- DC legislation receives bump in Congress: District of Columbia affairs will receive review from the full Oversight and Government Reform Committee instead of just a subcommittee. (Roll Call)
- Obama opposes more whistleblower protections: President Barack Obama issued a statement saying he objects to expanded contractor whistleblower protections. (FCW)
- Google settles with FTC in antitrust case: The Federal Trade Commission decided to take no action on the biggest part of a potential antitrust case against Google after the search-engine giant agreed to change some of its practices. (The Hill)
House rules package has new ethics clauses, strange wrinkles
Fresh off taking the oath of office earlier today, the new members of the House of Representatives are about to vote to adopt a set of rules and orders this afternoon. There are a few ethics-related changes that are significant. There are also some unusual new wrinkles.
One welcome change for watchdog groups, including the Sunlight Foundation, is the continuation of the independent Office of Congressional Ethics, which has to be reauthorized by each Congress. The terms of four board members -- Yvonne Burke, Jay Eagen, Karan English and Allison Hayward -- expired at the end of the last Congress but ...
Continue readingThe Post-Election Politwoops of 2012
'Tis the season to lick election-loss wounds by covering your tracks. Since the November elections, our Politwoops project has kept an eye on how members of Congress and candidates communicate with the public through Twitter.
Continue reading2Day in #OpenGov 1/3/2013
NEWS ROUNDUP:
- Ethics board could be preserved: The Office of Congressional Ethics could be preserved with proposed rule changes that would remove term limits for board members. The panel had been in danger of ceasing to exist because vacancies were unfilled. (USA Today)
- Relatives lobby on bills before Congress: More than 50 relatives of lawmakers have been paid to lobby on bills in Congress, records show. Lobbying by relatives was limited after 2007, but has not been banned entirely. (Washington Post)
- National Archives recognized for innovation: The Administrative Conference of the United States presented an award for innovation to the National Archives' Citizen Archivist Initiative. (FedScoop)
- Political money news in 2012: Campaign spending in 2012 was the subject of many news stories, and Roll Call has highlighted some of the major related events. (Roll Call)
- DC under scrutiny: The District of Columbia continues to be under scrutiny from the federal government related to possible corruption. (Washington Examiner)
- California tries to stymie anonymous donations: California legislators are trying to make news laws aimed at stemming the flow of dark money into political campaigns. (LA Times)
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Sunlight’s Legislative Agenda for the 113th Congress
The Sunlight Foundation’s legislative branch agenda for the 113th Congress is sweeping and comprehensive, but if Congress is committed to... View Article
Continue readingLobbyists save big businesses from fiscal cliff tax hikes
Congress may have averted the fiscal cliff, raising taxes on households making more than $450,000, ending the payroll tax holiday which will take a bite from workers' paychecks, and leaving the bigger issues of raising the debt ceiling, reforming entitlements and addressing federal spending to the next Congress. While the fiscal cliff deal results in a tax hike for all workers, some special interests preserved their favorite tax breaks the old fashioned way: lobbying and contributing to members of Congress.
Most of the goodies sprinkled through the American Taxpayer Relief Act have been on the wish lists of big ...
Continue readingSenate Rules Changes: Sunlight’s Proposals for the 113th Congress
The United States Senate is a creature of its rules. Through its standing rules, laws and resolutions, precedents, and the consent of its members, the upper chamber carefully controls how legislation can be promulgated and debate can take place. Unlike the House of Representatives, which must vote on its rules every Congress, the Senate rarely reconsiders its standing rules in their entirety. An opportunity may arise, however, with the current debate over changing how the filibuster works. Here are Sunlight's major recommendations for updating the Senate's rules.
Continue reading
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