In the final months before the midterm elections, reporting requirements on nonprofits' "issue advertising" will ramp up.
Continue readingInfluence Analytics: protecting farm workers from pesticide exposure
A controversial proposal by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to strengthen protections for farm workers from adverse effects of pesticide exposure has drawn hundreds of thousands of comments.
Continue readingReminder: Your senators (probably) still file campaign reports on paper
The Senate Campaign Disclosure Parity Act is a simple measure that would require that Senate candidates file their mandatory campaign disclosure reports online with the FEC.
Continue readingRethinking OpenCongress: design update
Over the last couple of months, we've been synthesizing the results of our research and working to develop an OpenCongress that will be clear, informative and modular.
Continue readingInfluence Analytics : Greenhouse gases, part II
A look at Sunlight's influence trackers shows that, on the controversial issue of global warming, the courts and the agencies are not the only place where the action is.
Continue readingThe money behind the Keystone XL pipeline
Lots of campaign and lobbying spending preceded today's vote in which Mary Landrieu, a vulnerable southern Democrat and chair of the Senate Committee on Energy, looked to silence critics who say she hasn't done enough to advance a vote on Keystone XL.
Continue readingWe finally gave Congress email addresses
OpenCongress has a new feature: email addresses for your representatives. This simple capability has been years in the making thanks to the hoops that our legislators make citizens jump through.
Continue readingThe influence battle for your child’s lunch
Food processing companies' dollars flow to the campaigns for members on the Appropriations' agriculture subcommittee, some of whom are trying to delay new regulations for healthier school lunches.
Continue readingTwenty five years after Tiananmen Massacre: Whom China pays to polish its image in the USA
This week marks the 25-year anniversary of the Tiananmen Square protests. China continues to prohibit discussion about the event, but that hasn’t stopped the government from polishing its image and pushing its interests in the United States.
Continue readingInfluence Analytics: Who is debating marijuana?
New Jersey wins the honor for the most bills introduced by the legislature mentioning the word "marijuana" so far this calendar year — 48 — and a dozen states have considered 10+ such bills, according to an analysis of OpenStates.org.
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