Enjoy this extra special leap day look at transparency-related news items, congressional committee hearings, transparency-related bills introduced in Congress, and transparency-related events. News Roundup:
Lobbying
- The American Coalition for Clean Coal Electricity is losing its President later this year. Steve Miller led the group for 17 years and helped grow it from a regional shop into a major player in Washington. (National Journal)
- Quinn Gillespie & Associates is losing one of its top Republican lobbyists. The firm has had some high profile staff changes and seen its earnings slip over the past year. (The Hill)
- Mitt Romney spoke out about the relationship between super PACs and campaigns. He called regulations governing coordination "very strange, awkward and inappropriate" and suggested throwing out and rewriting campaign finance laws. (National Journal)
- The New York Times Developer Network is now updating FEC data through its campaign finance API every 15 minutes. (Lobby Comply)
- A former News Corporation executive is co-hosting a high profile fundraiser for President Obama. Other notable co-hosts include movie producer Harvey Weinstein, designers Tory Burch and Michael Kors, and HBO co-president Richard Plepler. (Politico)
State and Local
- The New York City Council is expected to vote on a wide-reaching open data bill that would require all city agencies to provide data online in machine-readable formats through a single, citywide portal. Agencies would have until 2018 to fully comply with the law. (Tech President)
- A Utah Representative introduced a bill that would funnel anonymous political contributions of more than $50 to the entity where the position the candidate is pursuing exists. For example, a local school board candidate would have to transfer any anonymous donations over $50 to their school district's general fund. (Lobby Comply)
2Day in #OpenGov 2/28/2012
Policy Fellow Matt Rumsey wrote this post. Here is Tuesday’s take on transparency-related news items, congressional committee hearings, transparency-related bills... View Article
Continue reading2Day in #OpenGov 2/27/2012
Here is the week's first look at transparency-related news items, congressional committee hearings, transparency-related bills introduced in Congress, and transparency-related events. News Roundup:
Lobbying
- Three lobby shops contracted by Facebook have stopped working for the internet giant after content providers who also work with the firms raised "conflict" concerns. Facebook has a robust presence in Washington, but is now left with only one outside lobbying firm. (Politico)
- The House Energy and Commerce Committee is losing its general counsel, Jim Barnette, to Steptoe & Johnson. Barnette previously worked at the firm from 2007 to 2011. (National Journal)
- Some of the most generous donors to super PACs supporting Mitt Romney and President Obama also spent big money on lobbying activity in 2011. (The Hill)
- According to a CBO report, the Government Results Transparency Act (H.R. 3262) would cost $115 million over the next four years. The bill would require agencies to post program level spending data on a central website. (Government Executive)
- Federal CIO Steven VanRoekel laid out his list of priorities for 2012 on Friday. He hopes to use federal IT strategically in order to drive efficiency, spur innovation, protect U.S. resources, and more effectively provide services to citizens. (Federal Computer Week)
International
- More than 11,000 Cambodians who took part in a year-long series of forums with their elected officials identified corruption as one of their major concerns. (NDI)
- The Indonesian government is preparing to take advantage of Twitter's country-specific censorship policies to target "rude anonymous" tweets. (Global Voices)
2Day in #OpenGov 2/24/2012
Here is the week's last look at transparency-related news items, congressional committee hearings, transparency-related bills introduced in Congress, and transparency-related events. News Roundup:
Campaign Finance
- Comedian Bill Maher became the first high profile donor to drop a generous donation on the pro-Obama super PAC Priorities USA Action. He presented the group with a $1 million check during a stand-up act in California. (National Journal)
- Texas billionaire Harold Simmons, who has outspent every other super PAC donor this election cycle, has a history of giving big bucks to conservative causes. In 2004 he was a prime backer of Swift Boat Veterans for Truth and in 2008 he helped bankroll ads suggesting Barack Obama supported the Weather Underground. (Politico)
- Google has named Susan Molinari, a former member of Congress and longtime lobbyist, as head of its Washington, DC offices. (Washington Post)
- Federal contractors are worried that provisions in the STOCK Act could force their employees to register as lobbyists. They claim that the legislation could threaten industry and government relationships. (Federal Computer Week)
International
- Recent scandals have led a majority of British people to believe that corruption is a major problem in the UK. (Transparency International)
- The European Court of Human Rights ruled against Turkish courts by finding that they should not have fined a writer for editorials criticizing the Turkish Prime Minister for prosecuting journalists. (Courthouse News)
2Day in #OpenGov 2/23/2012
Here is Thursday's look at transparency-related news items, congressional committee hearings, transparency-related bills introduced in Congress, and transparency-related events. News Roundup:
Campaign Finance
- 25% of all money raised by super PACs in January came from five very wealthy individuals. (National Journal/The Atlantic Wire)
- Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick (D), who has come out against super PACs, donated to the Democratic Governors Association's super PAC. (iWatch News)
- A class-action suit was filed against the CIA on Wednesday, alleging that the agency has imposed unlawful requirements on Freedom of Information Act Requesters. (Politico)
- San Francisco launched its 2012 Innovation Portfolio, an attempt to make the city more relevant to its booming tech industry and open up city data and services to innovation. (Tech Crunch)
- Rep. Bill Posey (R-FL) introduced the Stop the Revolving Door in Washington Act, which would ban lobbying by former members of Congress for five years and seek to close the loophole that allows many former members to exert influence without registering as lobbyists. (Republic Report)
- Former Federal CTO Aneesh Chopra rejoined the Advisory Board Co., the healthcare research and consulting firm where previously worked for almost a decade. He will serve as senior adviser for health care technology strategy. (Federal Computer Week)
- Former Ambassador to Indonesia and Bolivia Robert Gelbard joined the public policy and regulation practice at SNR Denton. (Roll Call $)
International
- Last year, the government of Finland moved to make all data generated with taxpayer money open to the public. This flood of data lead Finland's leading national paper to hold a contest for unique and usable data visualization apps. (Open Knowledge Foundation)
2Day in #OpenGov 2/22/2012
Here is the Wednesday's look at transparency-related news items, congressional committee hearings, transparency-related bills introduced in Congress, and transparency-related events. News Roundup:
Campaign Finance
- Eleven Senate Democrats sent a letter to FEC Chair Caroline Hunter arguing for broad disclosure and disclaimer rules in response to Citizens United and the rise of super PACs. (Politico)
- The US Supreme Court stayed the Montana Supreme Court's decision upholding a state law prohibiting certain corporate political expenditures. The move makes it appear likely that the U.S. Supreme Court will reassess Citizens United in the future. (Lobby Comply)
Access to Information
- Regulations.gov, the nation's primary online regulatory portal received a redesign and fresh commitment from the White House Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs that regulatory data will be made available to the public. (Gov Fresh)
- The Department of Justice ended the last fiscal year with almost 1,000 fewer backlogged FOIA requests, according to their annual FOIA report. (Fierce Government)
- Several government agencies are facing a lawsuit attempting to force them to comply with 2007 changes to FOIA that required agencies to provide a time estimate for completion of requests. (Investigative Reporting Workshop)
- Visa is beefing up its lobbying presence with the addition of three major firms according to recent registrations. The Glover Park Group, Breaux Lott Leadership Group, and Creative Response Concepts will lobby on corporate tax, credit card, privacy, and cyber security issues. (The Hill)
- The MPAA is continuing to pull new staff from the revolving door. Their two most recent hires come from the Senate Judiciary Committee and the White House communications office. (The Hill)
2Day in #OpenGov 2/21/2012
Here is the week's first look at transparency-related news items, congressional committee hearings, transparency-related bills introduced in Congress, and transparency-related events. News Roundup:
Campaign Finance
- Corporations have been getting involved in this year's election cycle, but not necessarily with large cash donations. Many companies have been donating "in-kind" goods and services to super PACs. (Washington Times)
- Super PACs have continued to dominate the Republican presidential nomination race. In fact, last month, the super PAC supporting Mitt Romney raised more money than his actual campaign. (Washington Post)
- Billionaire Sheldon Adelson, who has already given $11 million to a pro-Newt Gingrich super PAC, has indicated that he is willing to spend up to $100 million to support Gingrich or the eventual Republican presidential nominee. Ron Paul (R-TX) is the only candidate that Adelson would decline to support. (National Journal)
- NIC inc. has won a contract to redesign and manage Maryland's web portal over the next five years. NIC manages the websites of 27 states and a number of municipalities across the country. (Government Technology)
- A constituent seeking information about Representative Steven Palazzo's (R-MS) 2001 district schedule was told to file a FOIA request for the records. Unfortunately, records of this type are exempt from the law. (Roll Call $)
International
- On February 15, the African Charter on Democracy, Elections, and Governance became operational and binding on African Union member states. The charter aims to improve accountability among African governments. (Open Society Blog)
- The Open Government Partnership gained two new members recently. The addition of Panama and Costa Rica brings OGP membership to 52 countries. 42 countries are slated to debut their plans at the first OGP summit in Brasilia, Brazil in April. (Fierce Government)
2Day in #OpenGov 2/17/2012
Here is the week's last look at transparency-related news items, congressional committee hearings, transparency-related bills introduced in Congress, and transparency-related events. News Roundup:
Campaign Finance
- Seven Democratic Senators called on the IRS to investigate nonprofit "social welfare" organizations that are heavily engaged in political activities. These groups have spent tens of millions of dollars for political purposes since the Citizens United decision, and do not have to disclose their donors. (Politico)
- An Illinois based PAC is suing the state, claiming that a law that prohibits a PAC from establishing additional PACs to raise more money, is inconsistent with the Citizens United and other court decisions. (Courthouse News)
- The EPA and the Department of Commerce are hoping to launch their FOIA portal this fall. Yesterday, the Office of Government Information Services allowed a sneak peak. (Investigative Reporting Workshop)
- More than 20 members of federal advisory committees de-registered as lobbyists after the Obama administration banned registered lobbyists from the panels in 2009. Critics say the rule simply encourages lobbyists to move into the shadows. (The Hill)
- Editorial: The American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) a corporate backed organization that writes legislation for state legislators, should be required to register as a lobbyist in Wisconsin. (The Cap Times)
- The MPAA pulled some new staff through the revolving door. New hires include veterans of the Justice Department, the Senate Judiciary Committee, and the White House. (National Journal)
2Day in #OpenGov 2/16/2012
Here is the week's first look at transparency-related news items, congressional committee hearings, transparency-related bills introduced in Congress, and transparency-related events. News Roundup:
Campaign Finance
- House Democrats are pushing Dan Lungren (R-CA), Chairman of the Committee on House Administration, to hold an oversight hearing on super PACs and the role of undisclosed money in the American political system. (The Hill)
- PG&E, a controversial California utility company, donated $10,000 to a super PAC supporting Rep. Howard Berman (D-CA). His primary opponent, Rep. Brad Sherman (D-CA), is using this connection in a new piece of attack mail. (Politico)
- Senator Michael Enzi (R-WY) asked President Obama to exclude HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius from a new policy allowing administration officials to attend fundraisers for pro-Obama super PACs. He claims that her participation would present a clear conflict of interest because she is overseeing the roll out of health care reform. (National Journal)
- The Federal government has taken many steps to make information available online. But, the goal of a fully transparent federal budget publicly available online is still far from fruition. (Federal Computer Week)
- Rep. Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) is losing his Chief of Staff to the revolving door. C.R. Wooters is leaving to join Purple Strategies. (Roll Call $)
International
- Europeans view corruption as one of the most important challenges facing the continent, according to a new survey. (Transparency International)
- From September 17th to 22nd, 2012 Helsinki, Finland will play host to both the Open Government Data Camp and the Open Knowledge Conference. (Open Knowledge Foundation)
- Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Tom Coburn (R-OK) asked Twitter for more information about the company's new policy to censor some tweets in certain countries. They also urged Twitter to join the Global Network Initiative, a voluntary code for tech companies to protect human rights. (The Hill)
2Day in #OpenGov 2/15/2012
Here is the Wednesday's look at transparency-related news items, congressional committee hearings, transparency-related bills introduced in Congress, and transparency-related events. News Roundup:
Campaign Finance
- Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), who is running for Congress in Illinois' 8th district, took a cue from the Massachusetts Senate race and challenged her primary opponent Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-IL) to reject super PAC contributions. (National Journal)
- President Obama spoke publicly for the first time about his change in opinion on super PACs. He stressed that he would not back down while his opponents utilize the funding mechanisms. (Politico)
- The Justice Department won this years Rosemary Award, presented by the George Washington University-based National Security Archive. The award honors the agency that has done the most to enhance government secrecy and keep the public in the dark. (Washington Post)
- Performance.gov currently lacks performance data about federal operations. But, President Obama's budget proposal appears to aim at publishing agency goal progress by the fall of 2012. (Fierce Government)
- On his last day as Federal CTO, Aneesh Chopra unveiled an Open Innovator's Toolkit to highlight best practices and address the shift and expansion of open innovation. (Fierce Government)
State and Local
- The State Integrity Investigation has released extensive data on transparency in U.S. State Governments. (iWatch News)
- Frederick, Maryland's government spending data is now available online through the new Transparent Frederick portal. Additional features are expected in the coming months. (Government Technology)
- The open source platform DistrictBuilder, was created as part of the Public Mapping Project to allow citizens to have their voices heard in the redistricting process. (Gov Fresh)
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