Sunlight Foundation

TGIF! Here is Friday's look at transparency-related news items, congressional committee hearings, transparency-related bills introduced in Congress, and transparency-related events. News Roundup: Government

• House Oversight Chair Darrell Issa questioned CFPB head Elizabeth Warren on an “inadequate” repsonse to FOIA requests in a heated hearing yesterday. (The Washington Examiner)

• CIO Vivek Kundra unveiled a seventeen-member task force charged with eliminating unnecessary government websites and determining how to prevent future “bloating of government URLs.” (GovTech)

• The House Appropriations Committee will require the GAO to investigate and report what steps have been taken to prevent mistakes after the Office recently released an error-ridden report on for-profit colleges. (The Daily Caller)

• The GAO is encouraging tipsters to come forward with knowledge about government waste. (ExecutiveGov)

Revolving Door

• Opinion: the new rule proposed by FINRA designed to protect against the revolving door does not go far enough. (POGO)

Lobbying

• Wall Street lobbyists have put their influence tools into full gear, seeking to ease the impact of the Dodd-Frank financial overhaul on their investment bank clients (The New York Times).

• Wachovia lobbied heavily for its loans to be bought up in TARP. (Charlotte Observer)

• Opinion: the current legislative standstill in Congress should make issue groups re-examine the value of their influence and lobbyist efforts. (The Hill)

Campaign Finance

• It is still up in the air whether presidential candidates in 2012 will reveal the names of their top "bundlers," individuals who reach their maximum donation levels and turn to their networks for other contributions, submitting all the checks in one bundle. (OpenSecrets)

Ethics

• Rep. Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii) stepped down from the House Ethics Committee yesterday due to her upcoming senatorial election campaign, noting that the non-partisan role of the Ethics committee could conflict with her bid. (Roll Call)

Technology

• In a House Oversight hearing on federal information technology yesterday, CIO Vivek Kundra identified what he considers the ten principles of federal transparency. (Sunlight Blog)

Access to Information

• A University of Michigan professor is demanding that the FBI and CIA respond to his FOIA requests for information about the government secretly investigating him due to his outspoken criticism of President Bush. (Courthouse News)

State and Local

• Dozens of state legislatures adopted anti-environmental regulation bills that were authored by the American Legislative Exchange Council. (The LA Times)

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

• President Obama and House Speaker Boehner have engaged in secretive dialogue to negotiate the debt-limit crisis, with Boehner's recent meeting at the White House unpublished on his public schedule. (Yahoo News)

• Sen. Pat Toomey (R-Pa) criticized the hidden debt-limit negotiations for their lack of transparency. (National Journal)

• CIO Vivek Kundra appeared in a live video broadcoast to discuss wasteful federal government websites. (FCW)

• Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand has clarified certain components of her OffTheSidelines.org website after being criticized for its use as a reelection fundraising tool. (Buffalo News)

Revolving Door

• A senior SEC official has left the commission to head up a new organization connected to the Dodd-Frank whistleblower program. (WSJ)

• Three San Diego lobbyists have left federally registered lobbyist positions to work as government aides for both Republicans and Democrats. (San Diego Reader)

Lobbying

• The American League of Lobbyists hired a new executive director, the former head of the National School Transportation Association. (The Hill)

• The powerful religious lobby is behind many political programs, but the church lobbying disclosure exemption restricts transparency. (OpenSecrets)

• TechDirt called for a response to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce's intensive lobbying for passage of PROTECT IP. (TechDirt)

• Opinion: The American business lobby has corrupted democracy and has contributed to the rise of right-wing policy agendas nationwide. (Salon)

Campaign Finance

• Sunlight came out in support of a new bill in the House and Senate (see below) that would require companies to get shareholder authorization before making certain political expenditures. (Sunlight Blog)

Technology

• A report card was released on Rahm Emanuel's IT efforts during his first thirty days as governor. (GovWin)

• GovFresh interviewed Get Satisfaction CEO Wendy Lea on how technology can be used to connect government with citizens. (Gov Fresh)

• Opinion: Files no longer have a place in the digital age. Data storage should take place fully on computer systems. (O'Reilly)

Access to Information

• A district court ruled on Monday that DHS and ICE could not withhold embarrassing documents requested through FOIA. (Center for Constitutional Rights)

State and Local

• The gun lobby wields significant influence in Arizona, supported by thousands of Arizonans and constantly present at the state legislature. (The Arizona Republic)

• Ohio lawmakers introduced legislation designed to enhance transparency in policymaking after Ohioans expressed frustration with a secretive budget process. (Progress Ohio)

International

• An EU watchdog group criticized the European Commission for hiring a former EP President and a former Irish presidential candidate as political advisers. (M&C)

• UK PM David Cameron promised greater transparency to the media related to meetings that he holds. (BBC)

• India is considering measures to heavily restrict the types of industry lobbyists that can influence government. (The Economic Times)

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