Congressional Quarterly reports that a small group of Republican members of the House Appropriations Committee are working to reform how earmarks are decided upon. And little wonder, appropriators of both houses have recently been caught red handed abusing them. Seven of the 29 Republicans on the committee are meeting on a weekly basis in an attempt to come up with a reform that appropriators can agree to. One idea they?ve discussed is requiring that both the chairman and the ranking minority member approve all earmarks. The CQ article also lists several other ad hoc groups of lawmakers in both chambers that are looking to further reform the earmark process.
One plan sponsored by Rep. Phil Gingrey would cap appropriations earmarks and divide the dollars equally among members of the House and Senate. Besides the GOP, members of the Congressional Black Caucus are looking to reform how earmark dollars are spread around in light of a CQ report that showed a large disparity depending on the race of the lawmaker. Republicans are also advocating more transparency in how earmarks are handled. Here, here to that!
Continue readingCRP Meets Colbert
Steven Colbert’s nascent presidential campaign came up against reality last night when he interviewed Massie Ritsch, the communications director for the Center for Responsive Politics. Ritsch gave Colbert the one-two of how he could legally finance his presidential run, which, at one point stunned Colbert into silence. Enjoy the whole encounter.
Continue readingFedSpending.org’s Offspring
Earlier this month,
Enviros vs. Mining Companies
The Hill reports today on the fight to reform the mining laws. The Hardrock Mining and Reclamation Act, sponsored by Rep. Nick Rahall (D-W.Va.), has conservation groups facing off with mine corporations. The House is set to vote on the bill today. What's at stake is whether the federal government will impose royalties on mining operations that dig for copper, gold, silver and other hard-rock minerals on federal land. Unlike coal mining and oil and gas developers who all pay royalties for using federal land and resources, hard-rock mining operations have never paid the government a dime. The current law is grossly outdated, does nothing to protect the land from despoilment, and is a huge rip off of the government and the taxpayer.
For 135 years, the mining industry has been allowed to walk away with gold, silver and other precious metals from federal lands without paying any compensation to federal taxpayers. Here's a handy "School House Rock" -style video that helps explains it all.
Continue readingSunlight Still Needed
We think the USA Today editorialists have got it right: the new ethics laws haven't meant the end to the perks or ways for lobbyists to curry favor with lawmakers. We never really expected it to (I mean, we weren't exactly born yesterday...). You can't legislate good behavior. And that's why Sunlight's work urging full transparency for the work of Congress and its members is so hugely important.
Today's edition also includes an opposing view op-ed from Sen. Majority Leader Harry Reid where he attempts to make the case that he and his fellow Democrats have delivered on their promise to end the status quo environment of corruption in Congress. Watchdog journalists have shown how lawmakers and lobbyists have conspired to get around travel restrictions and gift bans. Plus, when the Senate passed the Honest Leadership and Open Government Act, the practice of earmark abuse was preserved by a slight of hand by Sen. Reid and his fellow senators, putting anonymity back in the process.
Continue readingNeed for Transparency in Nevada
A coalition of regional and state-based environmental groups is attempting to stop the State of Nevada from authorizing the construction of three new coal-fired power plants in the state. Three regional power companies are negotiating with the state environmental regulators behind closed doors. And it?s reported that the power companies are drafting a memo of understanding with the state over the level of greenhouse gas emissions that will be allowed from any new power plant built in the Silver State. In secret. The Nevadans for Clean, Affordable, Reliable Energy has asked the state agency to open the negotiations to the public.
By excluding the public, the state is denying citizens a place at the table where a monumental decision will be made, one that has serious ramifications for the state. Coal plants are naturally dirty and belch out huge amounts of pollution and greenhouse gases, all things that will be increasingly regulated. The environmentalists argue that the construction of the plants pose a huge financial risk for the state?s electric consumers, and citizens and business owners should have a voice in the negotiations. Even some local voices in favor of the plants have called for regulators to open up the hearings and include the environmentalists.
A little transparency seems in order.
Continue readingFBI Fishes for Pork in Stevens Investigation
The ongoing federal investigation of Sen. Ted Stevens is exploring the Alaska lawmakers pattern, thoroughly documented by Chuck Neubauer, Judy Pasternak and Richard T. Cooper of the Los Angeles Times, of earmarking taxpayer dollars to organizations (among them Alaskan seafood producers) that hired Stevens' son, Ben, as a consultant. Matt Apuzzo of the Associated Press has the latest developments:
WASHINGTON - Federal authorities investigating Sen. Ted Stevens are trolling the Alaska fishing industry for evidence of whether the powerful Republican pushed seafood legislation that benefited his lobbyist son... Industry officials and attorneys involved in the case, who spoke on condition of anonymity because authorities have told them not to discuss the probe, said investigators are asking about federal legislation that directly or indirectly aided the senator's son, Ben, who is a state lobbyist and politician. The legislation was passed as earmarks, brief spending items that lawmakers tack onto bills to steer federal money to pet projects. Ted Stevens, an unapologetic user of earmarks, is the biggest champion for Alaska's $2 billion-a-year seafood industry.Details of the earmarks under investigation--including what Ben Stevens did (or didn't do) for his fees--are below the fold; it's worth noting that because Stevens fils was a state lawmaker, most of these payments were made public on his personal financial disclosure. A bunch of Ben Stevens' forms are available from the Center for Public Integrity, here--just scroll down toward the bottom of the page. Continue reading
PromiseKeeper
There was a really important money and politics story yesterday on the front page of The New York Times. It noted that the Democrats are now getting more money from the health care sector of givers than the Republicans. (Historically, health care has always given more to the GOP.) Candidate Clinton is getting the most of the dough. The Times, working with our friends at the Center for Responsive Politics, found the industry is giving to get an inside track with the potential next president.
No great surprise here and the story confirms the reason. It quotes an advisor to healthcare corporations: "For many people in the industry," he said, "these contributions are a defensive measure. Health care is the No. 1 domestic policy issue, and they want access, a seat at the table." And another quote: "Everybody in the industry knows that health care reform is on its way," said the president of the Greater New York Hospital Association. "You have only two decisions: sit on the sidelines or get on the field," he adds.
Maybe we need to start up a new site:how about Promisekeeper.com?
Continue readingQuote of the Day
New York Times Quote of the Day:
"I don't think anything will change until Americans revolt and get it into their heads that they need to be informed voters instead of just listening to the paid political ads." Rep. Deborah Pryce, a United States congresswoman from Ohio who is retiring.
There's really nothing more to add.
Continue readingRegrets
Thank goodness this is not a post about the World Series.
Jeff Jarvis highlights Craig Silverman's blog Regret the Error and his book by the same title which chronicles mistakes by journalists. Jeff makes the point that in the world of Web 2.0, journalists can't hide from their mistakes, and they should rush to admit and correct the regrettable yet inevitable errors.
Well said, Jeff. Imagine if the concept were applied more widely.
I think I'd like to make a banner of these two sentences: "In the end, this is about instilling an ethic of transparency -- even about our fallibility and foibles -- in journalism, professional and amateur. It is about being unafraid to speak in our imperfect human voice instead of hiding behind the cold, castle walls of the institution." I'd hang that banner across the Capitol dome in Washington.
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