On Monday morning, Sunlight Reporting Group Managing Editor Kathy Kiely was a guest on C-SPAN’s Washington Journal. Her conversation with... View Article
Continue reading2Day in #OpenGov 11/14/12
NEWS ROUNDUP:
- Government surveillance of citizens' online activity rising: The U.S. government's surveillance of citizens' online activity is on the rise, according to statistics released recently from Google. The government made more than 8,000 requests for user data in the first half of 2012, which is up from less than 6,000 requests in the same period last year. (The Hill)
- Bipartisan coalition proposes campaign finance reform: A group of Democrats and Republicans has come together to propose the American Anti-Corruption Act, which would reform the campaign finance system, lobbying, and advocacy efforts. The group also announced it will target lawmakers who oppose the proposal, actively working to unseat people from either party who do not support the reforms. (Roll Call)
In GOP leadership race, McMorris Rodgers has the dough behind her
It looks like the Republican establishment will win one and lose one as it heads into leadership elections today on Capitol Hill. As always, campaign fundraising is playing a major role in the contests.
In the Senate, Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., failed to convince two fundraising powerhouses, Sens. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., and Rob Portman, R-Ohio -- two men that may be eyeing a run at the White House in 2016 -- to take on the task of raising money for the 2014 crop of GOP Senate candidates. That means the job is likely to go to Sen. Jerry Moran, a Kansan who has cultivated ties to the Tea Party. The Hill is reporting that some have questioned Moran's ability to raise the necessary stockpiles of cash.
Continue readingThe DC Council should consider improved lobbying disclosure
The idea that Washington, DC's lobbying disclosure schedule is inadequate is not new, but it might be easy to improve thanks to new legislation targeting campaign finance reform.
Lobbying and campaign finance are inherently linked. Companies that lobby the city government invariably give to political campaigns.
Currently, those who lobby the DC government and Council only have to report their activities and expenditures twice a year. As a result, journalists, watchdogs and interested citizens often have to wait until far after important debates for crucial information about the special interests that were working to influence policy decisions. Moreover, the bi-yearly requirements make it difficult to paint a complete picture of influence spending, especially in an election year.
Testers wanted: Beta Website for US Code Now Online
The House's Office of Law Revision Counsel, which we're written about before, has released a beta version of a new website that houses the US Code. They're asking for feedback. Here's the announcement. A little over a year ago, the Office of the Law Revision Counsel of the United States House of Representatives released beta version 1 of a new website for the Office and the United States Code. Beta version 2 is now being released for testing and feedback. It is available at http://uscodebeta.house.gov. You are invited to test version 2 and give us your comments about its features, content, and ease of use.
Continue readingTobacco fueled ads helped tobacco foe Waxman win reelection
In a case of particularly odd political bedfellows, in late September the tobacco manufacturer the Liggett Group and several company executives, including the CEO, contributed more than $33,000 to a pop-up super PAC that would go on to help the candidacy of just one candidate: Rep. Henry Waxman, arguably tobacco's biggest foe in Congress.
The super PAC, the Committee for an Effective and Trusted Congressman, was formed in August and bought $100,000 worth of radio ads to support the California Democrat, who made a national reputation for his anti-tobacco crusades, beginning in the 1990s and continuing to ...
Continue readingFive reasons big money still matters after Election Day 2012
Just because some big players lost their shirts with their Election Day gamble doesn't mean Big Money won't be back at the table in upcoming contests.
Continue reading2Day in #OpenGov 11/13/12
NEWS ROUNDUP:
- Political reform on the agenda? Making voting easier and reforming the campaign finance system by challenging or invalidating the Citizens United decision could be on President Barack Obama's second-term agenda. He has suggested in the past that he believes shining a light on super PACs would be a good idea. (Washington Post)
- Texans ask for White House response on secession: More than 27,000 Texans have signed a petition asking to secede from the United States. The White House has said it will respond to any petitions that receive more than 25,000 signatures on its "We the People" website. (The Hill)
- Analyzing federal technology investments: The federal government is taking steps to measure the effectiveness of investments in technology. The Office of Management and Budget will also be tracking innovative uses of technology in the 2014 fiscal year. (FCW)
In the Senate, seven races topped $40 million in spending
By now, we know the Senate results well: The Democrats picked up seats, including victories in Indiana and Missouri that few expected at the beginning of the cycle. Of the 10 seats that the Cook Political Report listed as toss up races two months before the election, Democrats won nine, losing only in Nevada. But boy did it cost a lot.
Continue readingFinland Experiments With Citizen-Introduced Legislation
The online magazine Slate reports that Finland recently launched an open-source web platform called Open Ministry to allow citizens to propose legislation, which must be voted upon by Parliament if it receives the online attention of 50,000 citizens. "Each suggested law gets six months to gather traction. Whether the majority is in favor or not doesn’t matter, as anything with 50,000 total shares (likes or dislikes) moves on to the next, official round of voting. Two weeks ago, a proposal to ban the practice of farming animals for the fur trade became the first Open Ministry idea to pass the threshold for Parliament[ary] consideration. Out of the roughly 340 pitches currently on the site, the fur-trade idea is far and away the most popular, having collected more than 56,000 shares with the majority in favor of the ban."
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