A key member of Congress bowed to pressure Wednesday and withdrew a measure aimed at blocking online disclosure of political advertisements.
At a meeting of the House Appropriations Committee, Rep. Jo Ann Emerson, R-Mo., announced she was pulling a measure she introduced two weeks ago to defund a new rule that the Federal Communications Commission approved in April. The rule, now awaiting final approval by the White House Office of Management and Budget, would require the nation's biggest broadcast networks to put information about who is buying political ads on the Internet. The National Association of Broadcasters is suing ...
Continue readingScouting expedition: How Sunlight’s newest tool can make you a better watchdog
Got an issue you care about? A bill you need to track? Can't afford to hire your own team of lobbyists? No problem.
Sunlight Foundation's newest tool, Scout, allows you to keep tabs on Congress, the federal government's regulators and (drum roll, please) all 50 state legislatures at once. It's as easy as entering a search term and pushing a button. Want to keep tabs on future activities? Just enter your email address and Scout will send you alerts every time your term is mentioned in Congress, state legislation or the Federal Register. There's a ...
Continue readingSenate hears from heavy hitters on both sides of fracking debate
The effect on the water supply of hydraulic fracturing, also known as fracking -- a method for extracting heretofore hard to reach natural gas reserves -- has caught national attention, even inspiring a fiercely critical movie. Now, the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works is looking into the effect of fracking on the air -- and getting an earful from witnesses from organizations on both sides of the debate with long track records in Washington's influence game..
The panel's Clean Air and Nuclear Safety subcommittee held a hearing Tuesday on recently issued Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) performance standards for reducing ...
Continue reading2Day in #OpenGov 6/19/2012
NEWS ROUNDUP Government Comprehensive credit card complaint collection commenced: A new public database of consumers’ official complaints to credit card... View Article
Continue readingHow to Follow the Money in 2012
Want to know how to follow the money in an age of Super PACs, 501(c)s and unlimited contributions? Tomorrow at... View Article
Continue readingCFPB launches public consumer complaint database
Despite opposition from the financial industry, the newly minted Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) today launched a public database of consumer complaints about credit cards--including the name of the company issuing the card--received since June 1. The beta version of the database is available for viewing and downloading on the agency's website. The Bureau plans to add to and tweak it in the months ahead with complaints about other financial products, such as mortgages, student and other types of loans, and banking charges and fees.
"No longer will consumer complaints only be known to the individual complainant, bank, regulator ...
Continue readingA veil of secrecy over missing guns, drugs and money in Asheville, NC
Disclaimer: The opinions expressed by the guest blogger and those providing comments are theirs alone and do not reflect... View Article
Continue readingAg, chemical interests lobby for farm bill to reverse pesticide rules
A host of pesticide and agricultural interests is lobbying for a farm bill amendment that would permit farmers and others to spray pesticides near U.S. waters without seeking a Clean Water Act permit first.
The Pesticide Policy Coalition, CropLife America, Syngenta Corp. and Dow AgroSciences are among the organizations listed as clients in new lobbyist registrations last month by John H. Thorne, according to Sunlight's lobbying registration tracker. Thorne recently joined the firm Bergeson & Campbell, which describes itself as an environmental law firm that helps "companies that make and use chemicals commercialize their products, maintain compliance, and achieve ...
Continue readingOMB’s Commitment to Data Quality: Too Little, Too Late
Last week, OMB Controller Danny Werfel appeared on a panel discussion on potential Recovery Act applications for 2012. In the... View Article
Continue readingThe News Without Transparency – Region is Reshaped As Minorities Go to Suburbs
News Without Transparency – Region is Reshaped as Minorities Go to Suburbs The American Community Survey is a project of... View Article
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