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Tag Archive: Today in #OpenGov

2Day in #OpenGov 7/10/2013

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NEWS:
  • A challenger to Rep Mike Honda (D-CA) is already breaking fundraising records, even as a non-incumbent in a non-election year. Democrat Ro Khanna, a former Commerce Department official, raised $1.2 million in his first full quarter of fundraising - and according to his campaign, none of it came from self-funding, lobbyists, or PACs. (Washington Post)
  • Say, haven't we talked about this before? A slate of Republican candidates who narrowly lost in 2012 are gearing up again for the midterm elections, including Richard Tisei (MA), Martha McSally (AZ), and Mia Love (UT). They'll be bolstered by fundraising efforts by House Speaker John Boehner and Rep. Paul Ryan. Meanwhile, the Dems have started running Pandora and Twitter ads to give Mike Obermueller (D-MN) his shot at a rematch. (POLITICO)
  •  A new report from the IBM Center for the Business of Government examined federal "tail spend", encompassing often-unnoticed spending outside of an agency's core operations. The report suggests that increasing budget transparency could cut costs in the neighborhood of $64 billion to $128 billion for the Defense Department alone. (FCW)
  • At the last minute before a Softbank acquisition of a majority stake in Sprint, a lobbying firm involved in the merger has registered itself and one of its lobbyists. Polsinelli PC registered yesterday, and the deal is expected to close today. (Roll Call)
  • The General Services Administration announced yesterday the launching of a government reverse auction site. The reverse auction works by having business offer their prices for performing a service, and the lowest bid wins.The Department of the Navy will be the first to use the new platform. (FedScoop)

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2Day in #OpenGov 7/9/2013

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NEWS:
  • What happens when secrecy laws seem to impede the government? Legal terms get redefined, documents get moved out of FOIA's reach, and rules are broadly reinterpreted. (The Atlantic Wire)
  • Obama's remarks yesterday about his administration's management reform revealed his conviction that solutions must come from the private sector - an interesting stance for a Democratic politician. (Government Executive)
  • A new rule going into effect next month penalizes businesses that misrepresent themselves as "small" to the federal government for the full value of the contract. (Fierce Government)
  • Winning a House seat cost the victor an average of $753,000 in 1978, less than half of what it does today - and that's without factoring in spending by outside groups and super PACs. (New York Times)
  • Judge James Robertson, a former member of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act court, publicly spoke out against the court's limitations in only hearing the government's side of each case, saying that it was closer to an "administrative agency" in its proceedings. (Boston Herald)

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2Day in #OpenGov 6/8/2013

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NEWS:
  • Three years after the passage of the Dodd-Frank law, the SEC still struggles to enact even the most straightforward component, a requirement that companies disclose how much more their chief executive makes than other employees. Federal agencies have already missed two-thirds of the deadlines in the legislation, which they attribute to being understaffed, the complexity of the issues, and pushback from business interests. (Washington Post)
  • The Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court, once used primarily to approve wiretapping case-by-case, is gradually becoming a "parallel Supreme Court", making over a dozen rulings on surveillance, all of which are strictly classified. (New York Times)
  • Eight months after Superstorm Sandy, tens of thousands are still homeless in New Jersey - but without a sweeping independent appraisal, it's tough to judge Gov. Christie's recovery efforts. His rapport with the White House saw the launch of a "Stronger than the Storm" ad campaign that declares the state "back in business." (National Journal)
  • Former New York Gov. Eliot Spitzer announced yesterday his plans to run for NYC Comptroller, which manages city pension funds. Spitzer hopes to transform the low-profile job into an influential role governing financial regulation and oversight. (Time)
  •  With a temporary 3-2 Republican majority, the FEC could vote this week to end its working relationship with the DOJ. The current cooperation aids enforcement of the FECA by allowing free sharing of information about possible criminal violations by candidates, members of Congress and other committees. (Roll Call)

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2Day in #OpenGov 7/2/2013

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by Carrie Tian, policy intern  NEWS:

  • The government unveiled its first-ever inventory of federal programs across 24 departments, each one with a link to the program's strategic goals. Politicians hailed the project for its possible aid in cutting down on duplication. (Government Executive)
  • Marco Rubio may be drawing fire from Republicans of all stripes for his support of the immigration bill, but well-financed GOP groups are moving to cover for him, airing complimentary ads and urging party members to stop attacking one of their own. (New York Times)
  • Paul Ryan is shoring up fundraising efforts for the Republican party, with 20 events left in 2013 alone. His exposure to top donors during his vice presidential bid gives him fundraising clout and could bolster a possible bid as speaker of the House. (POLITICO)
  • Kentucky Secretary of State Alison Lundergan Grimes declared her candidacy for replacing Mitch McConnell in 2014. McConnell's supporters have already aired ads attacking Grimes as a cheerleader for Obama. (Washington Post)
  • Guardian journalist Gleen Greenwald says there's another big NSA scoop coming shortly and that "the world will be shocked". The world wearily prepares for its shocking. (POLITICO)

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2Day in #OpenGov 7/1/2013

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by Carrie Tian, policy intern NEWS:

  • In order to combat the growing power of super PACs and nonprofits, states across the nation seek to raise campaign limits for individuals. 6 states have passed such legislation this year, with another eight considering similar bills. Proponents claim that individual contributions are more transparent, though critics fear the increased limits will further tilt the balance of power in favor of the moneyed. (Public Integrity)
  • European allies are furious over revelations that the NSA has bugged EU offices and is collecting information on telephone and Internet connections, warning that the intrusions may throw a proposed trans-Atlantic trade treaty into jeopardy. (Spiegel)
  • Brewster Kahle, founder of the Internet Archive, gave an interview about his receipt of a national-security letter and how he successfully sued the government, with the aid of the ACLU and EFF. (New Yorker)
  • A law protecting whistleblowing defense contractors goes into effect today. The National Defense Authorization Act allows contractors to report waste or fraud directly to the office of the Defense Department’s inspector general, instead of their bosses. (Government Executive)
  • Months before 2014 elections, senators are racking in money to supplement their war chests - and spending it, launching back and forth ad attacks early. (Roll Call)

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2Day in #OpenGov 6/28/2013

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by Carrie Tian, policy intern NEWS:

  • Sen. John Cornyn came under fire a week ago for collecting three separate pensions and drawing a salary - but it seems he's not alone. Nearly 20% of members of Congress are collecting pensions on top of their salaries, most from their service at the local and state levels. (National Journal)
  • The Army has blocked online access to the Guardian across all of its forces after the British-based newspaper broke the PRISM story. Military employees report being unable to click through to any of the newspaper's articles. A spokesperson said that this was a routine "network hygiene" practice for the DoD. (Monterey Bay Herald)
  • Spurred by the conversation the Chinese government allowed its public to have about US cybermonitoring, a Chinese lawyer filed a public information request with the police to ask about China's surveillance programs. Cybersecurity experts doubt he will receive any meaningful answers to his questions. (New York Times)

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2Day in #OpenGov 6/27/2013

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by Carrie Tian, policy intern NEWS:

  • Obama kicked off his Africa tour with a visit to Senegal, where an online transparency platform called Sunu2012 sprang up in time for the nation's 2012 elections and has continued to monitor the government since. (techPresident)
  • The current state of disarray of the American Coalition for Clean Coal Electricity gives a window into the collapse of the century-old coal lobby. (National Journal)
  • Well before Edward Markey had officially secured his US Senate seat, Massachusetts politicians were eyeing the House seat he'd be vacating. State Sen. Kathleen Clark had started fundraising and filed her candidacy paperwork on Feb. 19, and Middlesex County Sheriff Peter Koutoujian followed suit on May 22. (Roll Call)
  • Just hours after the Supreme Court struck down DOMA, political analysts were speculating on the impact of gay marriage on the national budget. Tax revenue would increase thanks to the "marriage penalty" for two income earners, but payouts for Social Security would increase. Medicaid and Medicare spending would actually decrease, as spousal assets would reduce eligibility for the means-based programs. (National Journal)
  • The immigration bill's E-Verify amendment may have sailed through the Senate Judiciary Committee, but it's having a tougher time in the House, where Democrats are concerned about the lack of safeguards for mislabeled employees. (POLITICO)

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