NEWS ROUNDUP:

• The video game Minecraft is being combined with open data to allow citizens to "hack" their cities. Real-life locations can be created and edited within the game. (Tech President)
• The International Budget Partnership recently released the latest edition of their Open Budget Survey, tracking spending transparency around the world. 77 out of 100 countries failed to meet the survey's standards. (Huffington Post)
• The Supreme Court has agreed to consider a case challenging the limit on how much an individual can donate to political candidates or parties over the course of an election cycle. The Republican National Committee teamed up with a wealthy Alabama donor, Shaun McCutcheon, to bring the case. (Roll Call)
• It appears Rufus Gifford, who led President Obama's mammoth reelection fundraising efforts is going to rewarded for a job well done. Obama is rumored to be considering tapping the longtime fundraiser and gay rights advocate to serve as ambassador to Denmark. (Washington Post)
• Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington is suing the IRS, claiming that the agencies regulations for politically active nonprofit groups are currently out of line with tax law. (Roll Call)
• A number of government watchdogs are expressing their concern that the President's recent silence on campaign finance reform, combined with the creation of a group able to raise and spend unlimited funds from the remnants on his campaign apparatus, have resulted in a system over-ripe for corruption. (The Hill)

NEWS ROUNDUP:

• Both major Democratic candidates vying to fill the Massachusetts Senate seat recently vacated by Secretary of State John Kerry have taken a page from previous contenders Elizabeth Warren and Scott Brown and signed the "peoples pledge" to try and keep outside money out of their race. However, their Republican counterpart has refused to sign. (Common Cause)
• Changes in Yemen's government that came in 2011 have led to firsts in the way that citizens interact with their leaders. Last October, a series of live televised town hall meetings allowed citizens to discuss issues with their leaders. (NDI)
• A group of volunteers spread out across Abuja, Nigeria's capital city, to help flesh out the city's presence on Google maps. The planned city is still being built. (Tech President)
• A small group of special interests has spent money over the past decade to push the federal government to track near-earth asteroids and other space objects. The issues is getting fresh scrutiny following a widely publicized meteor landing in Russia last week. (Public Integrity)
• Former Representative Jesse Jackson Jr. (D-IL) is set to plead guilty to charges that he illegally spent $750,000 in campaign funds for personal expenses. Some of his purchases include fur coats, flashy watches, and Bruce Lee memorabilia. (Politico)
• Opinion: The People's Pledge taken by Elizabeth Warren and Scott Brown was effective, leading to a more positive tone and significantly reducing the outside spending in the race. (Politico)

NEWS ROUNDUP:

• The Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee has some new members and subcommittee heads. Notably, Claire McCaskill (D-MO) will now have oversight of financial transparency, procurement, and contracting issues. (Federal Computer Week)
• Many major lobbying firms are facing shortfalls in their PACs following the 2012 election compared to previous cycles. The firms appear to have spent big while trying to keep up with the torrent of outside cash that flooded what was the most expensive campaign ever. (Public Integrity)
• Rep. Mike Doyle (D-PA) is planning to re-introduce the Federal Research Public Access Act. The legislation would require researchers who receive federal funds to make their final papers available for free online. Companion legislation will likely be introduced in the Senate. (National Journal)
• The IRS paid $125.4 million to whistleblowers in 2012, significantly more than in 2011. The boost was mostly due to a $104 million payout to former UBS banker and whistleblower Bradley Birkenfeld. Over the past five years the IRS has collected almost $1.5 billion as a result of its whistleblower program. (Wall Street Journal)
• The OMB is pledging to improve the accuracy of spending data on USASpending.gov. Dan Werfel, OMB's Controller, highlighted transparency and the need for standardized data across government at a speech on Wednesday. (Federal Computer Week)

NEWS ROUNDUP:

• Following a major corruption scandal donors withheld nearly $300 million in aid from the Ugandan government. The country will increase domestic borrowing in order to replace the shortfall. (TrustLaw)
• A group of government watchdogs is publicly opposing a request made by a bipartisan group of lawyers to roll back recently adopted changes to the Office of Congressional Ethics' rules and allow for public comment. (Roll Call)
• It's rare for the White House to miss an opportunity to collect data on citizens interested in its actions and last night's State of the Union was no different. The Citizens Response Tool for the 2013 State of the Union allowed citizens to comment on and share parts of the speech provided they cough up their email address. (Politico)
• Iraq is close to finalizing a lobbying contract with the Podesta Group. This will be the first time that Iraq has signed up with a lobbying firm in the post-Saddam Hussein world. (Politico)
• A major wholesaler of helium filled balloons is looking to secure its markets during a serious helium shortage by lobbying Washington. Helium and Balloons Across America has hired the Alpine Group to lobby on its behalf. (Public Integrity)
• President Obama's actions on campaign finance issues have failed to back up his strong rhetoric in the three years following his public criticism of the Supreme Court for its Citizens United decision. (NPR)

NEWS ROUNDUP:

• Former Representative Gabby Giffords is staffing her PAC, Americans for Responsible Solutions, with some top Democratic names. In addition to former members of her personal staff, Giffords has looked to EMILY's List, and a number of top strategists for help. (Roll Call)
• As they try to recover from the rubble of the economic collapse and their government bailout, General Motors and Chrysler are rebuilding their once-potent lobbying operations. Both have spent more than $5 million a year since 2011 to influence the government that saved them. (Politico $)
• Recently retired House Parliamentarian John Sullivan is taking a job in Google's Washington office. Sullivan, who worked in the parliamentarians office for 25 years, will serve as a policy counsel. (Politico)
• Al Jazeera America, which recently made waves by buying Al Gore's Current TV, is tuning into the lobbying game. They recently hired lobbying firm DLA Piper. (The Hill)
• A group of GPS companies, including Deere, Garmin, and Trimble, are launching the GPS Innovation Alliance this week. The group grew out of efforts to defeat wireless startup LightSquared and will lobby on a range of issues. (The Hill)
• During last night's State of the Union address, President Obama promised more transparency in the way that his administration handles counter-terrorism operations. (Huffington Post)

NEWS ROUNDUP:

• President Obama had a mixed record on transparency and accountability issues during his first four years, according to a number of experts and watchdogs. The President set a high bar in the dawning days of his administration that he did not always reach. (ProPublica)
• Haiti recently held the first hackathon ever created by and for Haitians. The event drew students,  an international team of technologists, and a members of a women's group that works with survivors of gender-based violence. (Tech President)
• A government study on the Political Intelligence industry that was authorized by the STOCK Act is due out by April 4th. Some fear that the report might lead to legislation regulating the industry. Senator Chuck Grassley (R-IA) has already expressed interest in introducing a bill. (The Hill)
• The Project on Government Oversight outlines the revolving door between the SEC and industry in a new report that looks at disclosure statements filed between 2001 and 2010. During that time more than 400 former SEC employees filed nearly 2,000 statements indicating their intent to contact the SEC. (Government Executive, POGO)
• A recent report by the National Academy of Public Administration urges the GPO to "reboot" for the digital age. According to the report, the GPO needs to focus on matters critical to digital publishing including formats, metadata, authentication, cataloging, public access, and more. (Fierce Government)
• A new draft of data protection legislation being considered in Europe includes language taken directly from American and European corporations. The language was discovered by a LobbyPlag, a watchdog project that looks for connections between legislative language and proposals pushed by interest groups. (ArsTechnica)

NEWS ROUNDUP:

• Bangladesh is reportedly planning to take some advice from a visiting Congressional delegation that suggested hiring lobbyists to get better results in Washington. (Washington Post)
• In the wake of their 2012 election loss, Republicans are trying to learn some lessons to ensure that they put their technology and data to the best possible use in the future. (Tech President)
• This weekend's massive snow storm gave citizens in New York City a chance to try out some interesting civic technology. PlowNYC tracks salt and plowing operations throughout the city. (Tech President)
• The Tea Party has made the latest move in its budding war with Karl Rove. The Tea Party Patriots, one of the most prominent groups, launched a new super PAC to target "'big spending' politicians of both parties". (Politico)
• Rep. Darrell Issa (R-CA) is planning new legislation to target bad-actor contractors. According to Issa, agencies are not adequately suspending and debarring contractors who are known for unethical and wasteful behavior.(Government Executive)
• The International Anti-Corruption Academy is offering a new Master's program in Anti-Corruption Studies. The degree is aimed at professionals working in corporate compliance, internal oversight, law enforcement, investigative journalism, and more. (Wall Street Journal)

NEWS ROUNDUP:

• Lobbying revenues have been down for the past two years after a decade of steady growth. However, the changing nature of the influence industry has special interests relying more on public relations, grassroots organizing, mass media, and the internet. All told, influence spending up. (Washington Post)
• A group of anonymous donors in Germany are using a novel technique to promote their favored candidate. PeerBlog.de is funded by a shadowy group of businessmen and will produce content promoting the candidacy of Peer Steinbruck, a Social Democrat running to be chancellor.  (Tech President)
• The State of the Union address is the Super Bowl of politics and many lobbyists work hard to get their products mentioned. Although, just like at the super bowl, a high profile commercial can back fire. Some lobbyists to advise their clients to try to avoid being mentioned in the speech in order to maintain support among the minority.(Roll Call)
• Karl Rove's new dark money group's goal is simple. The Conservative Victory Project is hoping to fend off unelectable candidates who thrive in conservative dominated primaries only to wither and die come general election time. One potential target, Rep. Steve King (R-IA) is already using Rove's specter to raise money from his conservative base.  (Politico, Politico)
• Senator Ron Wyden (D-OR), who has been a vocal supporter of greater transparency in US Drone policy, pushed for more declassification in advance of the start of nomination hearings for John Brennan, who President Obama has tapped to be the next head of the CIA. (Politico)
• A bipartisan group of lawmakers wants to make it easier for FCC commissioners to meet in secret. Currently, three or more commissioners cannot speak to each other in private, even if they are not taking any agency action. (The Hill)

• H.R. 539. The FCC Collaboration Act. To amend the Communications Act of 1934 to authorize a bipartisan majority of Commissioners of the Federal Communications Commission to hold nonpublic collaborative discussions, and for other purposes.

NEWS ROUNDUP:

• Bipartisan leaders on the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee are pushing for information about the Obama administration's FOIA record. Darrell Issa (R-CA) and Elijah Cummings (D-MD) sent a letter to the justice department seeking answers on detailed questions about deficiencies in the administration's responses to FOIA requests. (Washington Times)
• Governor Rick Scott (R-FL), is facing a tough reelection campaign featuring low personal popularity and the potential that former Governor, and party swapper, Charlie Christ will be his Democratic opponent. He is planning to spend at least $100 million, including funding a data and analytics push. (Politico)
• New Jersey Governor is coming to DC at the end of the month for a major fundraiser at the home of BGR Group Chairman Ed Rogers, one of America's top lobbyists. Virginia Governor Bob McDonnell will serve as honorary host of the fundraiser. (Public Integrity)
• Palo Alto, California takes their technology, and their open data, seriously. Their open data efforts cover a wide variety of data sets and are released in user friendly and usable ways. (Govfresh)
• The US Geological Survey has a new tool to detect major seismic events: Twitter. The USGS' Twitter Earthquake Dispatch is capable of detecting large events faster than sophisticated seismometers. (Federal Computer Week)
• The White House is now taking applications for the second round of its Presidential Innovation Fellows program. The first round of fellows has worked on projects to improve contract bidding and help veterans and others easily download health information. (Fierce Government)
• Despite promises to lead the most transparent administration in history, and early moves to release Justice Department legal opinions from the Bush administration, President Obama has been tight lipped when it comes to opinions on assassination and "targeted killings" produced by his own DOJ. (New York Times)

NEWS ROUNDUP:

• A new report from the Georgia Public Interest Research Group Education Fund analyzed spending transparency in thirty of America's largest cities. Chicago and New York came out on top, while Cleveland scored the worst. (Common Cause)
• The White House is working on an update to its online petition platform "We the People." The new version will be based on an API that will be released publicly, allowing anyone to access data on petitions, signatures, and responses. (fedscoop)
• The top Republican and Democrat on the House Committee on Foreign Affairs sent letters to President Obama and newly minted Secretary of State John Kerry urging them to nominate an Inspector General for the State Department. The agency has been without a permanent IG for more than five years. (Washington Times)
• A wide range of groups are lobbying on the immigration reform talks currently bubbling on the Hill. The technology, agriculture, and hospitality industries, as well as gay and lesbian groups are working to see their wishes fulfilled in any legislation that might emerge. (The Hill)
• Despite disappointing results for their favored candidates in the 2012 election, the American Petroleum Institute isn't hesitating to continue aggressively pushing their agenda. The well funded trade group is targeting multiple Democratic Senators up for reelection in 2014 and is aiming to build public support for its positions from the ground up. (Roll Call)
• Opinion: A proposed SEC rule requiring corporations to disclose their use of corporate funds for political purposes enjoys widespread support and would "help...distinguish between companies that compete and win through superior products...and those...that merely appear to do so due to superior access to lawmakers." (Politico)