According to Department of Homeland Security statistics, there were an estimated 460,000 unauthorized immigrants in Arizona in January 2009. That statistic, making Arizona the state with the seventh largest illegal immigrant population, was often cited last week, as Gov. Jan Brewer signed the nation’s toughest law on illegal immigration.
The number comes from “Estimates of the Unauthorized Immigrant Population Residing in the United States,” a report that the DHS releases each year, but sadly does not add to Data.gov. It takes a little digging to find it, but the most recent report for January 2009 (released in ...
New Lobbyist Bundler Database Not Yet Searchable
When Democrats took over both chambers of Congress following the 2006 elections, one of their top priorities was a bill with tougher lobbying disclosure requirements. It was signed into law in September 2007 , but a provision requiring disclosure of money “bundling” by registered lobbyists took longer than expected to take effect. The Federal Election Commission (FEC), hobbled by the lack of a quorum for most of 2008, did not put the new disclosure rules into effect until February of 2009. The regulations created a system in which a political committee must identify and report bundlers of more than $16,000 ...
Continue readingSEC and CFTC exclude derivatives from joint regulatory review
As part of the broader push to strengthen regulation of the financial industry, two agencies with sometimes conflicting responsibilities and rules joined forces to see how harmonizing their efforts might be effective in, among other things, protecting against fraud and forcing foreign trade organizations to register with them before doing business within the United States. However, a Government Accountability Office (GAO) report, released yesterday, highlights that the two agencies, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC), did not assess how they could cover gaps in the agencies’ authorities to oversee derivatives—a central part ...
Continue readingOGD: A state-by-state look at Medicare payments
Over the last few years, hospitals in a few states have consistently received more money than others from Medicare in so-called "outlier payments" for inpatient services. These additional payments are handed out when a hospital takes on an unusually expensive case.
This takeaway comes from a quick review of the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS)' "Dashboard," a new online repository of spending data.
While the Dashboard is still in its beta version, and currently only has inpatient data (no home health or nursing home information, for example), a few points ... Continue reading
Using TransparencyData.com to track Goldman’s partners
We all know, thanks to the Center for Responsive Politics, that Goldman Sachs is a heavy hitter--in the 2008 presidential cycle, among the top donors to both Barack Obama and John McCain, that its employees, their family members and its PAC favor Democrats in their giving by a two to one margin (and three to one in the 2008 election cycle), and Goldman Sachs has been among the top 100 donors to 286 election campaign committees for members of Congress.
But what about others involved in the financial instrument that the Securities and Exchange Commission alleges was fraudulent? Is ACA ...
Financial reform lobbyists host fundraisers for senators
Since the beginning of 2010 through April, at least ten senators who sit on the Banking and Agriculture Committees are listed as beneficiaries of fundraisers hosted by lobbyists who have pressed Congress on financial reform issues. Both committees have recently worked on a bill to overhaul the financial regulatory system, which will likely be debated on the Senate floor next week.
According to Sunlight Foundation’s Party Time database, the fundraisers ranged from a “pre-St.Patrick’s Day” reception for Banking Committee member Jon Tester, D-Mont., on March 16 that asked for $100 to $1,000 in contributions, to a ...
Continue readingSen. Lincoln’s proposed reform moves to the Senate floor for debate
The financial reform legislation regarding derivatives voted 13-8 out of the Senate Agriculture Committee this morning and on to the Senate floor. It’s intended to fend off any future government bailouts and prohibit the risky behavior banks participate in that caused the 2008 financial meltdown. But of course, the very organizations that these new laws will affect are using their money and expertise to influence the lawmakers in charge of making reform happen.
The proposed bill, introduced by Sen. Blanche Lincoln, D-Ark., is planned to be folded into the bill Sen. Chris Dodd, D-Conn., proposed this week on financial ...
BLM fights to keep secret names of ranchers with grazing permits
Public land grazing elicits some pretty damning declarations. Former Secretary of the Interior Bruce Babbitt once called livestock grazing “the most damaging use of public lands.” And conservation groups, like WildEarth Guardians, go further: “Livestock production is the most widespread and destructive activity on . . . western landscapes.”
And yet, little is known about permit holders authorized to graze sheep, cattle, goats, and horses on millions of acres of federal public lands in 16 states.
WildEarth Guardians, based in Sante Fe, N.M., is embroiled in a protracted legal battle to obtain the names of permit holders from the Interior Department ...
New TARP watchdog report cites poor progress and several fraud investigations
The Office of the Special Inspector General of the Troubles Asset Relief Program (SIGTARP) released a quarterly report today
stating that although, Wall Street is beginning to regain its footing,
Main Street has been showing “disturbingly persistent” signs of
distress.
While, TARP recipients have paid back $180.8 billion, taxpayers are still expected to shoulder a $127 billion loss. The losses incurred come from the $50 billion given to AIG, the $31 billion to the automotive industry and $49 to the housing market.
According to the report even though "the financial system appears to be stabilizing and record profits are ...
Continue readingLocal goverment contractors receive billions in 2010
One of the largest government contracts for 2010 thus far was awarded to two companies in the DC metro area to process non-immigrant visa applications. The $2.8 billion, 10-year State Department contract went to Computer Sciences Corp., a small business based in Laurel, Md., and Stanley Associates based in Arlington, Va.
Computer Sciences Corp. has received more than $1 billion for fiscal year 2010 alone with more than 880 transactions. In 2009, the company received $4.2 billion dollars in federal contracts. So far in fiscal year 2010, Stanley Associates has been awarded $97 million, and in the last ...
59063
