NEWS:

• With House Majority Leader Eric Cantor's backing it looks like the DATA Act will see a vote in the House sooner rather than later. While action hasn't been scheduled yet, proponents are confident that it will be soon. (POLITICO)
• Sen. David Vitter (R-LA) is raising money for a super PAC set up to support him, but while the PAC can raise unlimited cash and donors can give as much as they want, Vitter is only allowed to ask donors for $5,ooo each. (Public Integrity)
• Open Data is making it easier for folks using alternative fuels to fill up their vehicles. The Department of Energy releases information on alternative-fuel stations in a number of formats, including through APIs and bulk data. (fedscoop)
• "Sharing" companies, like Airbnb and Etsy, are planning a concerted federal, state, and local advocacy effort to fight against regulation, entrenched competing interests, and a lack of understanding from legislators. (POLITICO)
• CEOs are changing their tune when it comes to engaging with Washington. They aren't just supporting their government relations and PACs, but engaging directly in politics and, in the case of Apple CEO Tim Cook, volunteering to go get grilled by Congress. (POLITICO)
• After nearly a year without a director, President Obama nominated John H. Thompson to lead the Census Bureau. Thompson currently heads up the University of Chicago's National Opinion Research Center and has previous management experience at the Census. (Government Executive)
• A new story is exposing more about the political intelligence industry in Washington. It looks like the industry doesn't just thrive on offhand conversations with Congressional staffers, it extends as far as Wall Street investors meeting in private with Obama administration officials about upcoming healthcare decisions. (Washington Post)
• Michelle Bachmann is facing fierce competition for her Congressional seat, but her stiffest competition might come from herself. She is facing multiple investigations into allegations that her presidential campaign concealed inappropriate payments to an Iowa state Senator for work he did on her campaign. (POLITICO)

NEWS:

• Representative Jo Bonner (R-AL) is leaving Congress for a gig in academia...sort of. He announced yesterday that he is leaving Congress by August 15th to become vice chancellor of government relations and economic development at the University of Alabama System. (POLITICO)
• Despite news last week that it had withdrawn its letter of intent to join the OGP, Russia may still join the partnership eventually. A presidential spokesman has walked back reports from last week. (Tech President)
• Virginia's attorney general, who also happens to be running for governor, appointed a special prosecutor to investigate allegations that current governor Bob McDonnell accepted a $15,000 check from a political donor to help pay for his daughter's wedding. The donor also has ties to current attorney general Ken Cuccinelli. (New York Times)
• Apple CEO Tim Cook faced off against a Senate subcommittee this week over the company's offshore tax practices, but at least two Senators on the panel probably have reason to support Apple's tactics. Heidi Heitkamp (D-ND), who didn't attend the hearing, owns as much as $500,000 in Apple stock, more than any other member of the panel. (Public Integrity)
• Senator David Vitter (R-LA), who basically wrote the book on how to survive an embarrassing sex scandal, is going to spend several days this fall raising money for an outside group that exists purely to support him in state and federal elections. The move is sparking talk that he may be eyeing a run for Governor in 2015. (POLITICO)
• Data.gov is in the processing of upgrading its system, moving to a new catalog based on the open source CKAN system. Improvements include a new search function, better sorting and tagging, and improved metadata. (fedscoop)
• Opinion: The GOP's response to the recent IRS scandals is the final nail in the coffin of their previous pro-disclosure positions. (National Journal)

 NEWS:

• Conservative members of the House are continuing their ill advised crusade against the Census Bureau, and Stephen Colbert had some things to say about recently introduced legislation that would effect business' ability to plan for the short and long term. (Government Executive)
• Following revelations that the Justice Department obtained a wide range of records about several journalists a bipartisan group of House members is pushing for legislation that would require federal entities to meet certain conditions before taking personal information from a journalist. (POLITICO)
• The Australian government admitted last week that they unintentionally censored more than 1,200 websites while trying to take one allegedly fraudulent site offline. Australia requires ISPs to block sites suspected of illegal activity if asked by the government. (Tech President)
• Remember Buck McKeon (R-CA), the Armed Services Committee chairman whose wife's run for California state assembly was bankrolled by defense contractors? His family is back and trying to use his power for their financial gain. Golden Oak Consulting, run by three of McKeon's relatives, is lobbying for a couple of companies with armed services interests. (Roll Call)
• As immigration reform legislation gains steam in Congress lobbyists are picking up their pace. The Chamber of Commerce, labor groups, and Silicon Valley are making major headlines and a host of other groups are staying under the radar but lobbying hard nonetheless. (The Hill)
• Prosecutors are planning to seek a retrial against five former officials in Bell, California who are accused of rampant corruption. A judge declared a mistrial in March after jurors failed to come to consensus on several counts. (AP/Yahoo)
• The DATA Act was reintroduced in the House and Senate last week. The legislation, which has been slightly simplified from the version that failed to pass through the 112th Congress, was passed out of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform yesterday. (Federal Computer Week, POGO)

NEWS:

• A new paper on the UK's open government data policies looks into ways that open data can be monetized and recommends an National Data Strategy. Groups have weighed in questioning the paper's focus on economic growth at the expense of transparency.  (Tech President)
• The NRA PAC kept up a strong fundraising pace during the first quarter, pulling n more than $1.2 million. They have nearly $7 million cash on hand. (Roll Call)
• A day after asserting that his office is exempt from state public records laws Virginia Attorney General, and candidate for governor, Ken Cuccinelli is backing off the controversial statement. Staff attorneys had been claiming the exemption when they responded to public records requests and Cuccinelli has asked them to stop the practice. (Washington Post)
• K street isn't letting the string of scandals stinging the Obama administration, and sucking up lots of oxygen in Congress, get in the way of their priorities. Lobbyists are still working on issues like the farm bill, immigration, and the internet sales tax. (The Hill)
• A new database put together by the Sarasota Herald-Tribune tracks travel by Members of Congress during 2012. While Afghanistan was the most popular destination, members also spent a lot of time in Spain and France, tending to take a few extra days in those more scenic locales. (Washington Post)
• Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington is suing the IRS over the agencies internal rules on reviewing 501(c)(4)'s for nonprofit status. The suit would force the IRS to bring its rules in line with federal law that says 501(c)(4)'s need to be exclusively "social welfare" organizations. (POLITICO)

NEWS:

• Rep. Darrell Issa (R-CA) is reintroducing the Digital Accountability and Transparency Act this week. The legislation unanimously passed the House last year only to die in the Senate. (FCW)
• Bipartisan legislation has been introduced to require a court order for federal agencies before the seizure of phone records. (The Hill)
• Hearings started Friday as the House looks into why the IRS targeted certain groups for extra scrutiny. The hearing, in front of the House Ways and Means Committee, was the first of several scheduled on the topic. (Washington Post)
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NEWS:

• A new discussion draft of the Digital Accountability and Transparency Act was released this week, and a bill is expected to follow soon. (FedScoop)
• Project Open Data is already fielding submissions ranging from fixing broken links to policy suggestions. (FedScoop)
• The U.S. CIO said there are anecdotal examples of the economic benefits of open data, but  there is no definite tally of open data's impact. (FCW)
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NEWS:

• U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder declined to say whether there would be a review of the Department of Justice procedures on searching journalists' records. DOJ has been under scrutiny after the AP revealed the Department had seized more than two months of phone records. (NPR)
• The White House is pushing for a media shield bill that would protect reporters from certain penalties for not revealing confidential sources, among other things. (New York Times)
• Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) said the Senate is working to confirm a commissioner for the IRS, which has lacked a confirmed head since November. (Roll Call)
• The acting commissioner of the IRS resigned on Wednesday at the request of President Obama, several days after an audit revealed the IRS targeted conservative groups for extra scrutiny. (Washington Post)
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NEWS:

• As questions grow about why the U.S. Department of Justice secretly obtained two months of phone records from AP journalists, U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder said he was not the one to authorize the seizure. (The Hill)
• The SEC is considering whether publicly-traded corporations should have to disclose their political spending to shareholders. (The Hill)
• Senior executive, legislative, and judicial branch officials will have to fill out  personal finance reports by May 15. (Roll Call)
• Documents show it wasn't just staff in the IRS Cincinnati office who knew conservative groups were targeted for scrutiny -- details of the actions appear to have reached higher-ups in the agency by mid-2012. (Washington Post)
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NEWS:

• Responding to Friday's news that the IRS targeted conservative groups for more scrutiny, President Obama called for those responsible to be held accountable for the "outrageous" action. (Washington Post)
• House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi used the recent news about the IRS to make a point about her desire to overturn the Supreme Court's Citizens United decision and change the campaign finance system. (Roll Call)
• Obama's advocacy group Organizing for Action has so far, despite nearly $5 million in fundraising and ties to the White House, failed to make a significant mark on federal policy. (Washington Post)
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