NEWS ROUNDUP:
Government
- Ethics board could be preserved: The Office of Congressional Ethics could be preserved with proposed rule changes that would remove term limits for board members. The panel had been in danger of ceasing to exist because vacancies were unfilled. (USA Today)
- Relatives lobby on bills before Congress: More than 50 relatives of lawmakers have been paid to lobby on bills in Congress, records show. Lobbying by relatives was limited after 2007, but has not been banned entirely. (Washington Post)
- National Archives recognized for innovation: The Administrative Conference of the United States presented an award for innovation to the National Archives' Citizen Archivist Initiative. (FedScoop)
Campaign finance
- Political money news in 2012: Campaign spending in 2012 was the subject of many news stories, and Roll Call has highlighted some of the major related events. (Roll Call)
State and Local
- DC under scrutiny: The District of Columbia continues to be under scrutiny from the federal government related to possible corruption. (Washington Examiner)
- California tries to stymie anonymous donations: California legislators are trying to make news laws aimed at stemming the flow of dark money into political campaigns. (LA Times)
RELEVANT BILLS INTRODUCED:
- None
- None
JOB OPPORTUNITIES:
- None
2Day in #OpenGov 1/2/2013
NEWS ROUNDUP:
Government
- Tech industry learns Washington: The technology industry is likely to be a major lobbying force in Washington, DC, this year as several lingering disputes over security and privacy could come back up for debate in Congress. (New York Times)
Campaign finance
- Most expensive races of 2012: There are different ways to calculate the costs of the races from 2012, but a few competitions stand out for how expensive they were. One race topped more than $85 million in total outside and candidate spending. (Roll Call)
- Bipartisan campaign finance disclosure: Two Senators have proposed bipartisan legislation similar to the Disclose Act that would require outside groups spending money on campaigns to make their funding public. (Roll Call)
State and Local
- Municipal innovation in 2012: Many cities and towns took strides forward with technology in 2012, enhancing their connections with citizens in different ways. Code for America highlights some of the advances. (Code for America)
Technology
- Top tech and politics events of 2012: TechPresident has a list of some of the top technology and political moments of 2012. (TechPresident)
RELEVANT BILLS INTRODUCED:
- None
- None
JOB OPPORTUNITIES:
- None
2Day in #OpenGov 12/21/2012
Please note: Sunlight's offices will be closed next week and this roundup will be taking a brief hiatus. Happy holidays and see you in the 2013! NEWS ROUNDUP:
Government
- American Community Survey goes online: The Census Bureau is hoping to improve its data collection while saving money by making the American Community Survey, one of its most important surveys, available online for respondents.(Federal Computer Week)
- From the jail house to the House of Representatives: Kandia Milton, a former aid to disgraced Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick, jumped from the jail house to a job in the House with Rep. Gary Peters (D-MI). Milton served a year in jail for his role in a bribery scheme while working for Kilpatrick. (Washington Post)
- Opinion- Reform the House Ethics Process: The Office of Congressional Ethics should change its rules to allow more due process rights to subjects of its investigations. Members and staff who are subject to review are left in the dark for too long, hampering their ability to refute charges against them. (Politico)
State and Local
- Mayors implement innovative policy: Mayors around the country are implementing innovative new policies in areas from digital government to education and public safety. (GovTech)
International
- Inside the battle for international internet governance: The UN based battle for international control of the internet had an important skirmish earlier this month at the World Conference on International Telecommunications, where the US and many other countries refused to sign an agreement that was put forth. (Ars Technica)
- Fighting for reform in Europe: The ongoing financial crisis in Europe has brought corruption and lack of transparency to the forefront of debate. NGOs and citizens are fighting for reform, but their is often a lack of political interest.(Global Voices)
2Day in #OpenGov 12/20/2012
NEWS ROUNDUP:
Government
- House Ethics changes rules: The House Ethics Committee held a 5 minute long public meeting to approve a package of rule changes designed to streamline future investigations. One change relates to when documents and testimony should, or must, be released publicly. (Roll Call)
- Study panel STOCKed: The National Academy of Public Administration named the five experts who will study the possible effects of putting some federal personal financial disclosure statements online. Congress requested the study in response to repeated concerns about how the STOCK Act requirement could effect employee privacy and national security. (Federal Times)
- IT Dashboard not being updated: The Federal IT Dashboard, which contains the president's budget and interactive data on agency spending and is intended to help agencies address duplicative IT investments, has not been updated since August because of the continued spending standoff. (Federal Computer Week)
- EPA e-mail investigation: Lisa Jackson, the EPA administrator, is under fire from Congressional Republicans and the EPA's IGA for her use of a secondary e-mail account. Republicans are questioning how transparent the EPA has been while handling electronic records. Meanwhile, the EPA claims using two emails is a long standing practice. (Washington Post)
State and Local
- Open data that appeals to city dwellers: Cities around the United States released datasets that allowed developers to create apps that were useful to citizens and improved public health and safety. (Atlantic Cities)
International
- Turkey fined for blocking sites: The EU has fined Turkey for blocking Google Sites, stemming from a 2009 case brought by a Turkish citizen. Turkey blocked all pages hosted on sites.google.com after finding one page that insulted Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, the founder of the Republic of Turkey. Turkey's long history of internet censorship could be a stumbling block in its quest to join the EU. (Tech President)
2Day in #OpenGov 12/19/12
NEWS ROUNDUP:
Government
- Cabinet continues to opt for secrecy: Nine out of 15 cabinet offices have still not disclosed the cost of travel by top officials after Bloomberg asked for the documents under the Freedom of Information Act in June. (Bloomberg)
- House vote planned on Hatch Act changes: The House of Representatives planned to vote Tuesday on changes to the Hatch Act and another bill that would impact policies related to federal workers, political activity, and misconduct. (Washington Post)
- 10 years of e-government: Former government officials recently came together to discuss progress made since the E-Government Act of 2002, which was passed with the goal of making government more accessible online by the public. (FCW)
2Day in #OpenGov 12/18/12
NEWS ROUNDUP:
Government
- Conaway named House Ethics chair: U.S. Rep. K. Michael Conaway (R-TX) has been named the new chair of the House Ethics Committee by House Speaker John Boehner (R-OH). (Roll Call)
- Owens, Schock cases go to ethics panel: Cases related to U.S. Reps. Bill Ownens (D-NY) and Aaron Schock (R-IL) have been sent from the Office of Congressional Ethics to the House Ethics Committee, which will announce its next steps by the end of January. (Roll Call)
- Closed-door fiscal talks OK? Government watchdog groups say that while some of the negotiations related to the fiscal cliff may need to be made in private, any legislation that comes out of the talks needs to be open for public review and comment. (NPR)
2Day in #OpenGov 12/17/12
NEWS ROUNDUP:
Government
- CRS tax report revised: A report by the Congressional Research Service finding no correlation between top tax rates and economic growth has been re-released after it was pulled nearly three months ago. The report, though slightly different, comes to the same conclusion. (Roll Call)
- Performance.gov overhauled: Performance.gov, the website dedicated to showing progress in building a more efficient government, is changing to reflect more information about federal agencies goals, progress toward those goals, and any challenges along the way. (FCW)
- Alarm raised over FCC plans: A growing number of lawmakers are raising concerns about the Federal Communications Commission's plans to relax restrictions on media consolidation. (The Hill)
2Day in #OpenGov 12/14/12
NEWS ROUNDUP:
Government
- Ethics conflicts for departing members: Lawmakers leaving Congress might have to excuse themselves from certain votes due to conflicts of interest as they contemplate their next job. (The Hill)
- Congress cut out of fiscal cliff talks: Most members of Congress are in the dark when it comes to knowing what's being discussed in meetings regarding the so-called "fiscal cliff." (NPR)
- Democrats prepare counter move on net neutrality: House Democrats might introduce new legislation related to net neutrality if a court throws out the regulations. (POLITICO)
2Day in #OpenGov 12/13/12
NEWS ROUNDUP:
Government
- Groups ask for OCE to continue: Several good-government groups asked House Speaker John Boehner (R-OH) and House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) to fill at least four seats in the Office of Congressional Ethics before the panel ceases to exist. If the seats go unfilled, the panel will expire. (The Hill)
Lobbying and influence
- K Street aims to steer fiscal cliff talk: Lobbyists representing business interests are hoping to steer talk about the so-called "fiscal cliff" in the best interest of their clients. The fiscal cliff negotiations have provided a boost to lobbying firms. (Roll Call)
- Chinese firm fights reputation: A Chinese company accused of posing a security threat to the United States is ramping up its lobbying efforts to fight the bad reputation. (The Hill)
2Day in #OpenGov 12/12/12
NEWS ROUNDUP:
Government
- State Department Tweets up for review? The State Department is allegedly considering a policy that would force staff to submit their tweets for review days in advance of posting. (FCW)
- White House continues move to open source: The White House appears to be increasingly moving toward sharing code for its websites and letting others reuse that code. (GovTech)
Lobbying and influence
- Boehner aide to lobby shop: Jeff Strunk, a floor aide to House Speaker John Boehner (R-OH) is going to the lobby shop Forbes-Tate. (Roll Call)
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