In this third segment on unveiling opengovernment.org and how you can use it to track legislative issues, we are going... View Article
Continue readingOnline poker lobby gives timely donations to pair of congressmen pushing its cause
Congressman Joe Barton, who is now lobbying the special deficit panel to legalize Internet poker, got some not so subtle nudges from the Poker Players Alliance when he introduced his own online poker bill in June.
On June 20, just days before Barton, R-Texas, brought his bill to the floor, the PPA’s PAC gave Barton’s campaign committee $2,500, according to the group’s Federal Election Commission report. Four days later, Barton, the second-ranking Republican on the Energy and Commerce Committee, introduced the measure. The PPA applauded the bill.
On June 28, the PPA’s PAC sent another ...
Continue readingSunlight Weekly Roundup: “…budget issues and open government go hand in hand”
Despite the state’s spotty history with transparency, The Sunshine Review has just increased the Kansas state website’s grade from a... View Article
Continue readingTools for Transparency: Use Topsy to Track Your Content
Topsy is a real-time search engine that pulls links from Twitter and Google+ to help you gauge popular content and... View Article
Continue reading2Day in #OpenGov 10/14/2011
It's Friday, which means this is your last chance this week to read about transparency-related news items, congressional committee hearings, transparency-related bills introduced in Congress, and transparency-related events. News Roundup:
- The British parliament voted down a proposal to ban the use of Twitter while in the House of Commons. Opponents of the legislation rely on Twitter to stay up to date and communicate with their constituents. (AP/Yahoo)
- Code for America has announced their city and fellow selections for 2012. The program brings together local governments and developers to collaborate on innovative IT projects. (Government Technology)
- YouTown, a mobile app aimed at connecting citizens with their local governments, is now available for iPhone and Android devices. (govfresh)
- The USAjobs relaunch is continuing to struggle. The site is still experiencing major issues, but signs of hope are beginning to emerge. (Federal Computer Week)
- President Obama raised more than $40 million for his reelection campaign in the third quarter, outstripping the entire Republican field. But, it remains to be seen how long this advantage will hold, or how much effect it will have. (Washington Post)
- Michelle Bachmann announced that she received donations from 92,000 individuals last quarter, but refused to cite a specific fundraising total. The FEC will release final numbers this weekend. (National Journal)
- The Iowa government has started posting a list of open records requests online. The new system is intended to strengthen government transparency. (Government Technology)
- A former Immigration and Customs Enforcement employee pleaded guilty to stealing at least $70,000 in a receipt forging and kickbacks scheme. The investigation is ongoing, involves at least 2 more ICE employees, and reaches as far up as the agency's former acting intelligence chief. (Washington Post)
- The House Oversight and Government Reform Committee passed legislation to make federal advisory committees more transparent. The "Federal Advisory Committee Act Amendments of 2011" now awaits action by the full House. (POGO)
2Day in #OpenGov 10/13/2011
Here is Thursday's look at the transparency-related news items, congressional committee hearings, transparency-related bills introduced in Congress, and transparency-related events. News Roundup:
- The Super Committee has been reluctant to share information with the public. But, that hasn't stopped some people close to the committee from speaking about it off the record. (Politico)
- House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi has released deficit-cutting ideas that Democratic committee ranking members will be delivering to the Super Committee tomorrow. She also called on the committee to hold open hearings on previous deficit plans including the Simpson-Bowles, Rivlin-Domenici, and "Gang of Six" proposals. (National Journal)
- American Crossroads, a major conservative Super PAC, is seeking permission to feature Federal candidates and officeholders in their ads. The PAC claims a precedent has already been set by "issue ads" featuring Senator Ben Nelson (D-Neb.) that the Democratic party has been running. (Washington Post)
- Former Senator Norm Coleman will be leading a new Super PAC dedicated to electing Republican candidates to the House of Representatives. The Congressional Leadership Fund is designed to counter the efforts of the Democratic House Majority PAC. (Politico)
- Darrell Issa stated, at a Transparency Caucus event, that he would move whistleblower protection legislation before the end of the year. The proposal he discussed would mirror a plan by the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence and aim to provide protections for members of the intelligence community. (POGO)
- The relaunch of USAjobs.gov that we mentioned yesterday appears to be off to a shaky start. The program's Facebook page has been inundated with complaints. (Federal Computer Week)
- Open government data is making it easier to search for vacant and abandoned buildings in the Chicago area. ChicagoBuildings.org uses 311 reports to create a searchable map of properties. (Gov 2.0)
- The Cook County, Illinois government is banking on a new open data website to transform their image as a hive of corruption and villainy. (Government Technology)
Obama, Congress, Wall St. and Willie Sutton: Where the money is
The close relationship between Wall Street and Washington insiders is amply demonstrated by the massive amounts of money that employees,... View Article
Continue readingHouse and Senate Committees should Stand Up for Transparency
By close of business tomorrow, all standing committees in the House and Senate must submit to the Super Committee their... View Article
Continue readingLetter to GAO: Review the Financial Disclosure System
Today, Sunlight is sending the following letter (see below) to the Government Accountability Office, or GAO. We are urging them... View Article
Continue readingBarack Obama’s other billionaire: How George Kaiser turned Oklahoma into his personal tax haven
It's unlikely that President Barack Obama will be naming any tax proposals after George B. Kaiser. An investment by the Tulsa billionaire's family foundation in Solyndra, whose bankruptcy may leave taxpayers on the hook for $535 million in federal loans, has raised speculation that the administration acted in part to aid a financial supporter. But the impact on taxpayers of Kaiser's career goes far beyond the $535 million loss. Kaiser has built his fortune in part through shrewdly playing the Internal Revenue Code. In one six year period, during which he increased his net worth enough to ...
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