NEWS ROUNDUP:
- Emerson resigns after winning re-election: U.S. Rep. Jo Ann Emerson (R-MO) announced she is resigning after winning re-election to take a position with the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association, which lobbies for electric utility companies. She will step down in February and a special election will be held to fill the seat. (New York Times)
- Plum Book published in print, digital formats: The Plum Book published by the Government Printing Office is out for the first time in both print and digital formats. The book details government positions by agency, pay grade, appointment type, and more. (Government Executive)
- Diminishing line between think tanks and government: In the wake of Gen. David Petraeus' resignation as head of the CIA, reports show an increasingly thin line between think tanks and government. Several think tank scholars had close relationships with Petraeus, including spending time with him in Afghanistan. (Washington Post)
The 12 Days of APIs
‘Tis the season for application programming interfaces. Sunlight is in a festive mood. Not only are we hosting a pretty... View Article
Continue readingRevolving door: Jo Ann Emerson leaves Congress for rural electrification co-op
Less than four weeks after winning re-election to a ninth term in Congress with more than 70 percent of the vote, Rep. Jo Ann Emerson announced she'll be leaving in February to head the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association.
Sunlight Discusses Fiscal Cliff on C-SPAN’s Washington Journal
This morning the Sunlight Foundation's Senior Fellow Lee Drutman joined Washington Journal to discuss the "fiscal cliff" and his analysis of the many powerful interests lobbying on this issue.
Continue reading2Day in #OpenGov 12/3/12
NEWS ROUNDUP:
- Congress polls low on honesty: People have a better view of the U.S. Congress' honesty this year than they did last year, but more than half still have a negative view of congressional ethics and honesty. (POLITICO)
- Staffer falls less than $2 short of disclosure: A Senator's deputy chief of staff had a salary that put her $1.12 under the bar for disclosure. Her husband is running for lieutenant governor of Virginia. (Washington Post)
- Lawmakers head to K Street: Several of the lawmakers leaving the hill - whether through retirement or losing a bid for reelection - are headed to K Street to join the lobbying world. Departing House members will technically have to wait one year to lobby their former colleagues, and former Senators are supposed to wait two years. (POLITICO)
Tech companies flex influence abroad at UN Internet conference
Does management of the Internet need an upgrade? That's the question before representatives of governments, corporations and civil society groups at a two-week conference that opened today in the Persian Gulf city of Dubai.
Continue readingICYMI: Sunlight’s report on Susan Rice’s financial stake in Keystone XL
The widely reported possibility of United Nations Ambassador Susan Rice’s nomination to become secretary of state now has a lot... View Article
Continue reading‘Tis the season: Ads targeting 2014 Senate candidates already on air
For years, political advertisers have benefitted from a loophole big enough to drive a $10 million-dollar political campaign through. "Issue ads" that don't explicitly ask for a vote for or against a candidate, and don't run immediately before the election, don't have to be disclosed to the Federal Election Commission.
But new rules requiring about 15 percent of the country's broadcast TV stations to disclose these ad buys online are beginning to pull the veil off this secret spending. And, the documents help make clear, the line between "issue ads" and the endless campaign is vanishingly ...
Continue reading2Day in #OpenGov 11/30/12
NEWS ROUNDUP:
- SEC change buoys hope for disclosure: The departure of Mary Schapiro as head of the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has raised hopes among those who want the agency to force disclosure of political activities by publicly traded companies. They are hopeful the new SEC head will be more open to the reform. (The Hill)
- Presidential appointments announced: Some of President Barack Obama's intended appointments have been announced. Among those intended appointees is Ambassador Nancy Soderberg, who Obama would like to appoint as chairwoman of the Public Interest Declassification Board. (The Hill)
- NASA using Ideascale to revamp website: NASA is using Ideascale to gather ideas for redesigning its website. The idea with the most votes is to make more raw data available to the public. (FCW)
CityCamp Colorado – Bringing Innovation to Life
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.
Scott Primeau is a board member of OpenColorado, a nonprofit organization established in 2009 to promote government transparency and citizen participation. Scott has also been an employee for a Colorado state agency since 2003. He provides project management, policy research and analysis, and customer engagement services. Scott has a bachelor’s degree in public affairs management from Indiana University and is a passionate supporter of improving citizen participation and government collaboration. You can contact him at scott.primeau@opencolorado.org.
The third annual CityCamp Colorado took place on October 26, 2012. Almost 140 people attended the event, making it the largest gathering of open 
government advocates ever in Colorado. The attendees and presenters include city CIOs and IT staff, senior city leaders, Colorado state IT leaders, private enterprises and startups, nonprofits, elected officials and citizens.
59063
