The Sunlight Foundation joined ten organizations today in expressing concern over a provision of the Wall Street Reform and Consumer... View Article
Continue readingWhen transparency attacks
It’s always curious what lawmakers think they can get away with. Especially when the very thing they are trying to... View Article
Continue readingMitch McConnell: DISCLOSE Act Hypocrite
The Lexington Herald Ledger nails Sen. Mitch McConnell down on his hypocrisy in regards to transparency for organizations trying to... View Article
Continue readingDeclassification of Historical Congressional Records
Our summer intern, Mike Liu, wrote this fantastic summary of a hearing on the declassification of historical congressional records that... View Article
Continue readingWaters to face ethics trial
Late last week the House Ethics Committee revealed that another senior Democrat would face ethics charges. Rep. Maxine Waters, after... View Article
Continue readingDoes FinReg Contain Anti-Transparency Measures?
I’ve been reading about a brewing controversy over whether language in the new Financial Regulations Act — officially the Dodd-Frank... View Article
Continue readingReprimand recommended for Rangel by ethics subcommittee
The subcommittee that investigated the allegations against Rep. Charlie Rangel recommended a “reprimand” of the Harlem Democrat to the House... View Article
Continue readingLobbyist Reporting Bill Passes House
On Wednesday, the House of Representatives passed the “Lobbying Disclosure Enhancement Act,” introduced by Rep. Mary Jo Kilroy, which is... View Article
Continue readingDisappearmarks: How highway projects get left behind
(Photo courtesy of Leon Reed.)
In 1991 the Alabama Department of Transportation (ALDOT) received a $14.6 million federal earmark to reconstruct a highway interchange in downtown Mobile. After spending a portion of the funds on feasibility studies, engineers found that the project would require a great deal of additional federal and state money to complete. What’s more, their studies showed the proposed improvements would only increase highway speeds by an average of five miles per hour.
So they halted the project. And nineteen years later, $10.6 million of that original earmark remains unused ... Continue reading
Earmark Transparency Timeline
I just finished putting together an earmark transparency timeline that traces disclosure developments over the last 4 years. Of particular... View Article
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