As David All and I have written, the rules governing member Web sites are not fit for the 21st Century Web. If the rules were enforced with any regularity, instead of used as a scarecrow to keep members from innovating, then some of the best practices by members on the Web wouldn't be happening. Case in point: Rep. George Miller (D-CA).
Today, George Miller announced a new campaign, called "Ask George," calling on citizens to send videos, through video sharing sites like YouTube, to Miller's office regarding the War in Iraq. Miller's office describes "Ask George" as a "distributed, virtual town hall". Miller also suggests that participants in this conversation "tag" their videos "askgeorge" so that his office can go and find the questions. This way, Miller is the one going out to seek the conversation rather than the citizen or constituent who is usually the one seeking out the congressman.
Upping the Ante on McConnell as Senate Republicans Try Trickery
Who knew a little bill requiring senators to file their campaign finance reports electronically could cause such a problem on Capitol Hill? Today, Senate Republicans under the stewardship of Minority Leader Mitch McConnell tried their hand at a parliamentary trick to add poison pill amendments to S. 223. When Majority Leader Harry Reid tried to move S. 1, the Senate' lobbying reform package, to conference committee Sen. Bob Bennett attempted to add S. 223 while reserving the right to add another amendment. Bennett likely wanted to slip in the same amendment that he tried to add to S.223 when it was in committee. That amendment would allow party committees, like the RNC or the DSCC, to coordinate campaign activities with candidate committees. Bennett's amendment is widely opposed by the majority Democrats and would not only make S. 223's passage impossible in conference or in the House of Representatives, but would endanger the entire lobbying and ethics reform package. Reid scuttled this parliamentary trickery by objecting to Bennett's proposition. The Senate went into convulsions and recessed without advancing S. 1 to conference committee. (There are some conflicting accounts of exactly how this proceeded.))
Since the Senate minority is upping the ante with procedural tricks, the Sunlight Foundation has decided to up the ante on Mitch McConnell. Today, Sunlight announced the extension of the deadline for our campaign to get Mitch McConnell on the record responding to questions about the continued blocking of S. 223. Not only is the deadline extended but the prize money is doubled. You will now receive $1,000 if you are the first to submit a video of McConnell responding to questions about the bill. Check out What's McConnell Hiding? for more details.
Continue readingObama on Transparency for Government
While Sunlight is mostly focused on Congressional transparency we can't help but notice that there is a presidential campaign going on. Sen. Barack Obama announced his positions last week for ethics and transparency reform.
Obama's reform agenda uses the Web in a significant fashion. There are lots of things I like in his proposal including the core concept of "Google for Government (information)," which in my mind means creating searchable, online databases as a requirement for government agencies' work. (Let's hope that as president Obama would also champion legislative changes that will allow for citizens to learn more about Congress' activities -- expanding what is currently reported and making it all available online in searchable databases.) Given the fact that Obama is a leader on government transparency issues in the Senate now, his willingness to talk about these issues demonstrates his commitment to them and his understanding that the public strongly favors more transparency by the government.
Continue readingRead the Bill Legislation Back
In Michael Moore's "Fahrenheit 9/11" Rep. John Conyers makes a stunning admission that is actually a widely known fact in Washington. Conyers states that no member of Congress read the Patriot Act before voting for it. In fact most bills aren't read by congressmen or their staff because they aren't released in a timely fashion. Just as stunning to the public, and to many members of Congress, was the outcome of the fight over the 2003 Medicare bill. The bill was introduced moments before an all-night session, preventing legislators from being able to read the bill. The bill passed with most members having no idea of the provisions slipped into the bill and no one knowing the true final cost. More recently, liberal and conservative bloggers have raised the issue of prompt bill release over the immigration bill and free trade agreements.
Just last week, Rep. Brian Baird (D-WA) introduced H. Res. 504, which would require all bills to be posted online 72 hours before they are voted on floor debate begins. This bill would greatly alter the dynamic by which bills are considered in the House. Passage of H. Res. 504 would mean that each piece of legislation will receive greater citizen input and greater scrutiny from the media and from legislators themselves. This bill is an essential piece to changing the way business is done in Washington and changing the dynamic between citizens and their representatives. Last year the bill (then H. Res. 688) was cosponsored by 36 members of Congress. Check out Read the Bill's arguments for why this bill should pass.
Popup Politicans Live
When one of our tools is used by liberals and conservatives, we are happy.
Continue readingCopy This Story
Newsday had a really good earmarks story yesterday that brought the earmarks story home to Long Islanders. It keys off our Visualization of Earmarks release of last week. This story would work well for any media outlet.
How many earmarks -- and for what -- did your state get compared to the citizens of Alaska? And did your members of Congress get to weigh the relative value of the earmarks she or he requested versus those for other regions of the country? Isn't a little more accountability for earmarks necessary? Sunlight thinks so.
Continue readingA Modern Congress Needs Modern Web Sites
The Hill newspaper ran an Op-Ed written by David All and myself on Tuesday in the Open House Project Op-Ed series. We run down the reasons why member Web sites are often just polished brochures, accessories to the actual functions of the office. First and foremost is the rule regime governing member Web content. These rules date from the early to mid-nineties and do not reflect the current nature of the Internet in the 21st Century. David and I advocate for these rules to be changed and for the Committee on House Administration to create a bipartisan panel to solve the problem. I've been blogging about member Web sites over at the Open House Project blog this week. So far, I've covered Ben Nelson's Google Map of his Iraq CODEL, Jack Kingston's dynamic member site, and the attitude on Capitol Hill in regards to member Web sites. Below the fold I've included the Op-Ed that David and I wrote.
Continue readingStates leading the Way on Transparency Reforms
Fascinating piece on the Wall Street Journal opinion pages today. (Even more interesting because it's not hidden behind their firewall...). It points out numeous examples of how the states are taking the lead in creating greater transparency for how they spend their money. They report that 19 states have passed, or are now working on, legislative or administrative reforms that would hand the public tools to examine government spending.
Even as Washington has fiddled on earmarks--delaying, obfuscating and basically doing all it can to avoid enacting real reform--a transparency movement has been sweeping the nation. Angry over Alaskan Bridges to Nowhere, and frustrated by the lack of willpower in the nation's capital, small-government activists have turned their attention to the states. If ever Washington lagged behind a movement, this is it....That hope is rooted in the idea that the best way to get Americans actively engaged in the debate over the size and efficiency of government is by giving them examples of government gone wrong. Reformers point to the current furor over Washington earmarks as proof. Tell Americans that the size of the federal government increased to a whopping $3 trillion, and their eyes glaze over. Tell them that the Alaska delegation was trying to appropriate some $300 million of taxpayers' hard-earned dollars to build a bridge for 50 people, and they go berserk. Much as they went berserk decades ago at the news the Pentagon had spent $640 on a toilet seat.
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Rep. Dennis Rehberg Punches In!
Rep. Dennis Rehberg is the 7th Member of Congress (and the second from Montana) to put a daily schedule online. Montana freshman, Sen. Jon Tester, made a campaign promise to post his schedule and he has been posting it since the beginning of his term. The existence of Tester’s schedule prompted the Helena Independent Record to ask Rep. Rehberg and Sen. Baucus if they were thinking of posting one also. Rehberg’s spokesman said his schedule was available to anyone who called his office and asked but when bloggers decided to take him up on that offer they found out that his schedule was available only if you were in Washington (more responses here). Later, an article in the Missoula Independent quoted Rep. Rehberg’s chief of staff saying that when the website was redesigned Mr. Rehberg’s schedule will be posted daily.
Continue readingSmart reforms to deter congressional conflicts
I wish I'd notice this earlier: Taxpayers for Common Sense and the National Law and Policy Center sent a joint letter to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, House Minority Leader John Boehner and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell calling for better personal financial disclosure.
The whole letter is worth reading -- it serves almost as a primer on recent congressional scandals -- and all the recommendations are excellent, but if I had to pick just one, it would be this one:
2. Better Disclosure of Business Partners and Joint Investors: While current rules call for disclosure of ...Continue reading
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