As stated in the note from the Sunlight Foundation′s Board Chair, as of September 2020 the Sunlight Foundation is no longer active. This site is maintained as a static archive only.

Sunlight Foundation

Follow Us

2Day in #OpenGov 2/27/2012

by

Here is the week's first look at transparency-related news items, congressional committee hearings, transparency-related bills introduced in Congress, and transparency-related events. News Roundup:

Lobbying
  • Three lobby shops contracted by Facebook have stopped working for the internet giant after content providers who also work with the firms raised "conflict" concerns. Facebook has a robust presence in Washington, but is now left with only one outside lobbying firm. (Politico)
  • The House Energy and Commerce Committee is losing its general counsel, Jim Barnette, to Steptoe & Johnson. Barnette previously worked at the firm from 2007 to 2011. (National Journal)
  • Some of the most generous donors to super PACs supporting Mitt Romney and President Obama also spent big money on lobbying activity in 2011. (The Hill)
Government
  • According to a CBO report, the Government Results Transparency Act (H.R. 3262) would cost $115 million over the next four years. The bill would require agencies to post program level spending data on a central website. (Government Executive)
  • Federal CIO Steven VanRoekel laid out his list of priorities for 2012 on Friday. He hopes to use federal IT strategically in order to drive efficiency, spur innovation, protect U.S. resources, and more effectively provide services to citizens. (Federal Computer Week)
International
  • More than 11,000 Cambodians who took part in a year-long series of forums with their elected officials identified corruption as one of their major concerns. (NDI)
  • The Indonesian government is preparing to take advantage of Twitter's country-specific censorship policies to target "rude anonymous" tweets. (Global Voices)

Continue reading

2Day in #OpenGov 2/24/2012

by

Here is the week's last look at transparency-related news items, congressional committee hearings, transparency-related bills introduced in Congress, and transparency-related events. News Roundup:

Campaign Finance
  • Comedian Bill Maher became the first high profile donor to drop a generous donation on the pro-Obama super PAC Priorities USA Action. He presented the group with a $1 million check during a stand-up act in California. (National Journal)
  • Texas billionaire Harold Simmons, who has outspent every other super PAC donor this election cycle, has a history of giving big bucks to conservative causes. In 2004 he was a prime backer of Swift Boat Veterans for Truth and in 2008 he helped bankroll ads suggesting Barack Obama supported the Weather Underground. (Politico)
Lobbying
  • Google has named Susan Molinari, a former member of Congress and longtime lobbyist, as head of its Washington, DC offices. (Washington Post)
  • Federal contractors are worried that provisions in the STOCK Act could force their employees to register as lobbyists. They claim that the legislation could threaten industry and government relationships. (Federal Computer Week)
International
  • Recent scandals have led a majority of British people to believe that corruption is a major problem in the UK. (Transparency International)
  • The European Court of Human Rights ruled against Turkish courts by finding that they should not have fined a writer for editorials criticizing the Turkish Prime Minister for prosecuting journalists. (Courthouse News)

Continue reading

Influence at the Oscars

by

Update: The contribution amounts coming from George Clooney and Kathleen Kennedy have been corrected.

It's Oscars weekend in Hollywood, a place that -- when it comes to money and influence -- isn't as far from Washington as it appears on a map. In honor of the occasion, Sunlight has decided to take a look at who among this year's Academy Award nominees are playing the political field. The results of our inquiry do absolutely nothing to dispel the notion that the Hollywood hills are a Democratic stronghold.

The envelopes, please.

Three movies from DreamWorks Animation -- "War Horse," "The Help ...

Continue reading

CFC (Combined Federal Campaign) Today 59063

Charity Navigator