NEWS ROUNDUP:
Campaign season
- Obama wins a second term: Democratic President Barack Obama defeated Republican challenger Mitt Romney on Tuesday to win a second term in office. (Washington Post)
- Congress can bar contractor contributions: A federal court has ruled Congress can prevent federal contractors from trying to buy influence by contributing to candidates, parties, and committees. (Lobby Comply Blog)
- Campaigning by House committee? A video released by the House Committee on Oversight and Reform is drawing questions about whether it is too close to being a campaign ad attacking President Barack Obama. The video highlights what it calls wasteful spending by the administration and includes the slogan "Spend like he says, not like he does." (Public Integrity)
2Day in #OpenGov 11/6/12
NEWS ROUNDUP:
Campaign finance
- What to do with idle money? Former lawmakers, some of whom have become lobbyists, have thousands or millions of dollars left in their old campaign accounts. Their parties are urging them to consider donating some of it. (The Hill)
- DC donors top the charts: Donors from inside the Beltway have given more to PACs than donors in any other city. DC contributions amounted to more than $71 million for this election cycle. (Roll Call)
- Top PAC donors by industry: What industries do the top PAC donors represent, and which candidates have they supported? Public Integrity has the answers. (Public Integrity)
2Day in #OpenGov 11/5/12
NEWS ROUNDUP:
Government
- Watergate records unsealed: A federal judge has unsealed some of the records from the trial of two Watergate conspirators who served on President Richard Nixon's re-election campaign. (Politico)
- NY lawmaker proposes three strikes rule: A New York lawmaker is proposing a "three strikes and you're out" rule for those who fail to file campaign finance reports. Three failures to file the reports would result in prison time. (Lobby Comply Blog)
Lobbying
- Maryland governor's aide joins lobbying firm: Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley's top legislative aide, Joseph Bryce, is leaving office to join the lobbying firm Manis Canning & Associates. (Washington Post)
2Day in #OpenGov 11/2/12
NEWS ROUNDUP:
Government
- Questions raised after CRS report pulled: Democrats are raising questions about why a nonpartisan Congressional Research Service (CRS) report was pulled after some objections from Republicans. The report found no correlation between top tax rates and economic growth, an issue that has been debated along partisan lines. (New York Times)
- Office of Congressional Ethics forwarded three names: The Office of Congressional Ethics forwarded the names of three people for further investigation by the House Ethics Committee last quarter, according to a report released this week. The names are not released in the report. (The Hill)
- Hurricane maps available thanks to gov data: Detailed maps with information about Hurricane Sandy were thanks in part to the government data made available to the public and third-party developers. (TechCrunch)
2Day in #OpenGov 11/1/12
NEWS ROUNDUP:
Campaign finance
- Money pours into Senate races: Millions of dollars are pouring into several competitive Senate races in the final stretch of the campaign season. Both parties are trying to sway majority of the Senate their way. (Washington Post)
- Lessons from Citizens United: Roll Call took a look at some of the lessons in the post-Citizens United era. One of the main trends: spending by outside groups, including Super PACs and nonprofits, has soared. (Roll Call)
- Nonprofit contributions leads to increase of dark money: The prevalence of donations by nonprofits to Super PACs this campaign season has contributed to the increase of dark money since 501(c)(4) groups do not have to disclose their donors. (Public Integrity)
2Day in #OpenGov 10/31/2012
NEWS ROUNDUP:
Campaign season
- Election lawyers poised to pounce: Lawyers across the country are ready to challenge the election results based on questions that could arise from machine errors, voter suppression, or other illegal activity. Hurricane Sandy has also created concerns that there could be challenges for people trying to make it to the polls next week, which could spawn litigation. (Washington Post)
- Outside groups outspend candidates in 26 House races: Outside groups have spent more than candidates in 26 House races this election cycle, according to an analysis. In Illinois' 17th Congressional District, outside groups have spent some $2.7 million more than the candidates. (Public Integrity)
2Day in #OpenGov 10/30/2012
NEWS ROUNDUP:
Hurricane Sandy
- Hurricane could impact election: FEMA is guessing Hurricane Sandy could impact the presidential election as it brings high winds and heavy rainfall to the East Coast. Federal law allows states to make their own decisions about whether to delay elections due to emergencies that can disrupt voting. (Politico)
- Jobs report may be delayed due to storm: The last jobs report before the presidential election may be delayed after the federal government was shut down Monday and will continue to be closed Tuesday. The Bureau of Labor Statistics was scheduled to release the report Friday, and officials are still determining whether that deadline can be met. (New York Times)
2Day in #OpenGov 10/29/2012
NEWS ROUNDUP:
Government
- Group with Obama ties talks tax breaks with Treasury: A group with ties to President Barack Obama talked to the administration about tax breaks for its clients, according to the Treasury Department. The communications firm was trying to secure tax breaks for offshore revenues. (New York Times)
- Former McCotter staffer sentenced: A staffer for former U.S. Rep. Thad McCotter (R-MI), who resigned from Congress in light of revelations about false petition signatures, was sentenced to 20 days in a work program for involvement in the fraud. Two other former McCotter staffers are still facing sentencing for their involvement. (The Hill)
- WaPo calls for better congressional ethics: A Washington Post editorial called for better policing of congressional ethics in light of an investigation that found many members of Congress could have benefited from legislation they sponsored. The Post suggested increasing the power of the Office of Congressional ethics. (Opinion - Washington Post)
2Day in #OpenGov 10/26/2012
NEWS ROUNDUP:
Government
- Congressman broke ethics rules in state legislature: U.S. Rep. David Rivera (R-FL) was charged this week with 11 counts of violating state ethics laws related to financial disclosure, campaign funds, and a $1 million consulting contract he had while serving as a state legislator. The FBI and IRS are also investigating. (The Miami Herald)
- Postal Service loses FOIA lawsuit: A U.S. district court has ruled the U.S. Postal Service must tell a California group how many pieces of mail a former school board member sent under a bulk mail permit, which is allegedly connected to shady election maneuvering. USPS had asserted that the information was exempt from disclosure and that releasing the information could cause some customers to stop using USPS services because of privacy concerns. (Federal Times)
2Day in #OpenGov 10/25/2012
NEWS ROUNDUP:
Campaign Finance
- Obama has more ads despite less spending: President Barack Obama's campaign and its allies have run more ads in battleground states than challenger Mitt Romney's campaign and supporters despite being outspent. Some 915,000 ads have run in total this campaign season. (Washington Post)
- Third-party candidates dig on campaign spending: Four third-party presidential candidates railed on the state of campaign finance at a recent debate. Each of the candidates expressed concern about the corrupting role of money in politics. (Public Integrity)
- Supreme Court keeps limit for now: The U.S. Supreme Court denied an application to vacate a stay that keeps limits on campaign contributions in Montana. Montana has been the site for many tests of campaign finance issues. (Lobby Comply Blog)
59063
