NEWS ROUNDUP:
Government
- House ethics committee investigating New York lawmaker: The House Ethics Committee is investigating U.S. Rep. Michael Grimm (R-NY) for allegedly violating campaign finance laws. The Committee will defer, however, to the Department of Justice's investigation into the matters. (Washington Post)
- Supreme Court declines hearing on bribery conviction: The U.S. Supreme Court denied a request to hear an appeal in the case of former U.S. Rep. William Jefferson (D-LA). The former lawmaker was convicted of a bribery scheme and is serving a 13-year prison sentence. (Roll Call)
- SEC Chair leaving: Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) Chairwoman Mary Schapiro is leaving her position in December. She is one of the longest serving SEC chairs. Elisse Walter will fill the position. (Government Executive)
2Day in #OpenGov 11/26/12
NEWS ROUNDUP:
Government
- Jackson resigns amid federal probe: U.S. Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. (D-IL) resigned from Congress citing health issues and an ongoing federal probe into alleged misuse of campaign funds. (Roll Call)
- NSA denies FOIA request: The National Security Administration (NSA) denied a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request by watchdog group EPIC. The group had asked NSA to share a Presidential Directive that sets standards related to how the federal government handles cybersecurity. (Government Security News)
- Air Force, National Guard FOIA policy may violate law: The Air Force and National Guard may have violated federal law by setting a policy requiring information be released in PDF or image-based file format, which limits the accessibility of the documents. That may go against federal law requiring documents be released in the manner requested by the person or group filing a FOIA request. (Army Times)
2Day in #OpenGov 11/21/12
NEWS ROUNDUP:
Government
- Waiting for changes at FEC: Five of the six members of the Federal Election Commission are serving on expired terms. Some are looking to President Barack Obama to fill those seats with people who might be inclined to reform campaign finance. The commissioners with expired terms can be replaced any time. (Public Integrity)
- Federal agencies could be overly optimistic on IT: Some federal agencies may be presenting an overly optimistic picture of their IT progress, according to a recent Government Accountability Office report. (Information Week)
2Day in #OpenGov 11/20/12
NEWS ROUNDUP:
Government
- Clarification coming on digital copying rights: U.S. Rep. Darrell Issa (R-CA) might be working on a bill to clarify digital copying rights after the U.S. Copyright Office posed questions about whether fair use is legal. Issa suggested language could be written to help clearly define fair use. (Roll Call)
- RSC pulls report on copyright law: The Republican Study Committee posted a paper last week proposing reforms to copyright law and suggesting current law gives content producers a monopoly. When the paper was pulled down less than one day later, copyright reform advocates questioned the cause for the sudden change. (The Hill)
2Day in #OpenGov 11/19/12
NEWS ROUNDUP:
Government
- Report calls for stronger IT oversight: Stronger oversight is needed on the $54 million spent by federal agencies for oversight and maintenance of IT, according to new report from the Government Accountability Office. (FedScoop)
- How to stop dark money: Is the influx of dark money in elections thanks to the Citizens United decision, or is it due to failures of the Federal Elections Commission? Trevor Potter, a former FEC commissioner and chairman, argues the FEC deserves the blame. (Washington Post, opinion)
- Super PAC finds its way into the dictionary: The term "super PAC" is being added to the Merriam-Webster dictionary. (Politico)
2Day in #OpenGov 11/16/12
NEWS ROUNDUP:
Government
- House member drops amendment to bring back earmarks: A House Republican dropped his amendment to bring back earmarks after Speaker John Boehner (R-OH) voiced opposition. Republicans adopted a ban on earmarks in 2010. (The Hill)
- State governments challenge dark money: The election is over, but several states challenged or are continuing to battle groups that tried to influence elections and hide the sources of their money. States are limited in terms of what they can do about practices by national groups, however. (Pew States)
2Day in #OpenGov 11/15/12
NEWS ROUNDUP:
Government
- Senate approves expanded whistleblower protections: The Senate unanimously approved the Whistleblower Protection Enhancement Act (WPEA) this week, expanding protections for federal employees who expose government wrongdoing. The bill now goes to President Barack Obama's desk for his signature. (Washington Post)
- Congressional Research Service and Congress have complex relationship: The nonpartisan Congressional Research Service (CRS) has long faced pointed questions from Congress about its reports. Members of Congress tend to expect certain results when they request CRS analysts to compile research. (Roll Call)
2Day in #OpenGov 11/14/12
NEWS ROUNDUP:
Government
- Government surveillance of citizens' online activity rising: The U.S. government's surveillance of citizens' online activity is on the rise, according to statistics released recently from Google. The government made more than 8,000 requests for user data in the first half of 2012, which is up from less than 6,000 requests in the same period last year. (The Hill)
- Bipartisan coalition proposes campaign finance reform: A group of Democrats and Republicans has come together to propose the American Anti-Corruption Act, which would reform the campaign finance system, lobbying, and advocacy efforts. The group also announced it will target lawmakers who oppose the proposal, actively working to unseat people from either party who do not support the reforms. (Roll Call)
2Day in #OpenGov 11/13/12
NEWS ROUNDUP:
Government
- Political reform on the agenda? Making voting easier and reforming the campaign finance system by challenging or invalidating the Citizens United decision could be on President Barack Obama's second-term agenda. He has suggested in the past that he believes shining a light on super PACs would be a good idea. (Washington Post)
- Texans ask for White House response on secession: More than 27,000 Texans have signed a petition asking to secede from the United States. The White House has said it will respond to any petitions that receive more than 25,000 signatures on its "We the People" website. (The Hill)
- Analyzing federal technology investments: The federal government is taking steps to measure the effectiveness of investments in technology. The Office of Management and Budget will also be tracking innovative uses of technology in the 2014 fiscal year. (FCW)
2Day in #OpenGov 11/9/12
NEWS ROUNDUP:
Government
- Fill the Office of Congressional Ethics: There are vacant seats in the Office of Congressional Ethics (OCE), and the panel will not be able to function unless those seats are filled. It will be up to the Speaker and Minority Leader to fill the positions. (Roll Call, opinion)
- Was super PAC money counterproductive? Money spent by conservative-leaning super PACs to support Mitt Romney in the presidential race could have actually hurt the candidate, some are arguing. Their theory is that Romney didn't have enough of a chance to move from the far-left to being more moderate between the primary and general. (NPR)
- Cat takes third place: A Maine Coon cat named Hank appeared to place third in a Virginia Senate race, bringing in more than 5,000 votes. The mission of Hank's campaign was to raise awareness about the intense partisanship of political campaigns. (Roll Call)
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