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Tag Archive: Today in #OpenGov

2Day in #OpenGov 10/28/2011

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You made it to Friday! Celebrate with 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

  • A new study on corporate political disclosure and accountability ranks S&P 100 companies on the way they disclose and manage their political spending. Lowest on the list are Disney, Amazon, and Berkshire Hathaway. IBM and Merck ranked near the top. (Politico)
  • Registered lobbyists have been donating to Republican presidential candidates, but not in large enough amounts to represent a significant percentage of any candidate's take. (National Journal)
  • The dwindling House Blue Dog caucus, full of moderate Democrats, is gearing up for a tough election cycle. They have jumped head first into fundraising, outpacing more liberal Democrats as well as their own hauls from 2010. (Politico)
  • Super PACs are siphoning money, talent, and purpose from the national party committees. The committees have long dominated the American election process, but are seeing their influence wane in the post Citizens United world. (Politico)
  • President Obama has spoken in opposition to the Citizens United decision, but he takes full advantage of its provisions when fundraising. In an interview with Politico Martin Frost, a former Democratic Congressman,  stated that he doesn't see this as hypocritical. (Politico)
Revolving Door
  • Senator John Kyl (R-AZ) often takes advantage of the revolving door when looking for top staff, according to Legistorm. The site is conducting a three week series on the revolving door ties of Super Committee members. (Legistorm)

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2Day in #OpenGov 10/25/2011

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Here is Tuesday's look at transparency-related news items, congressional committee hearings, transparency-related bills introduced in Congress, and transparency-related events. News Roundup:

Super Committee 
  • GOP Governors have joined the list of groups lobbying the Super Committee. The Republican Governors Association has sent a letter urging the committee to cut spending by rewriting Medicare laws. (Politico)
Government
  • The Justice Department has proposed a rule that would allow Federal agencies to tell people making FOIA requests about certain law enforcement or national security related documents that no such records exist, even when they do. (ProPublica)
  • The House Ethics Committee may be ready to launch a full scale investigation into allegations that Rep. Laura Richardson (D-CA) pressured her staff to engage in banned political activities while on government time. The committee has been quietly looking into the claims since last year. Politico)
  • The Center for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington is calling on the Defense Department to do a better job tracking domestic violence incidents involving military service members. They want DOD to institute a central database to track and target domestic violence in the armed services. (Government Executive)
  • A new report suggests that Federal agencies are struggling to compile substantive and useful mobile applications. (ExecutiveGov)
State and Local
  • The San Francisco Ethics Commission has approved a new set of campaign finance laws. The measure includes new disclosure requirements for 3rd party spending relating to a candidate, and an affirmation of a $500 individual contribution limit. (Lobby Comply)
  • The Montana Commissioner of Political Practices is working on new rules for using social media in campaigns. The current laws were crafted primarily for radio, TV, and print media. The rules are being revised in response to complaints about the use of email and social media. (Lobby Comply)
International
  • A new website allows Chileans to investigate possible conflicts of interest between their elected officials and business interests. The site includes data from financial disclosure reports. But, those have been found to be inconsistent. Data is also pulled from three other independent sources, to correct for inconsistencies in the disclosure reports. (techPresident)

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2Day in #OpenGov 10/24/2011

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It's Monday and this is your first look at the week's transparency-related news items, congressional committee hearings, transparency-related bills introduced in Congress, and transparency-related events. News Roundup:

Super Committee 
  • The Super Committee's secrecy continues to irk lawmakers, journalists, and the public, but shows few signs of stopping. (National Journal)
  • Nearly 200 companies and special interests have reported lobbying members of the Super Committee in the six weeks since its inception. Health Care interests are leading the charge with the defense, transportation, energy, telecom, and education industries not far behind. (Politico)
Access to Information
  • WikiLeaks is facing financial difficulties and may close down by the end of the year.  Major financial institutions have been imposing a "financial blockade" on WikiLeaks, according to a post by founder Julian Assange. (Politico)
Lobbying
  • Herman Cain is making waves as an outsider running for the Republican Presidential Nomination, but his first serious exposure to politics was at the National Restaurant Association, which he helped transform into a major lobbying force. (New York Times)
  • Overall, lobbying expenditures were down in the third quarter. But, major tech firms, including Google, Facebook, and AT&T continued to spend rapidly as they face scrutiny from Congress and Federal regulators. (National Journal)
  • Senator John Kyl has hired Dave Hoppe, a longtime lobbyist for Quinn Gillespie, to serve as chief of staff in the Republican Whip's office. Hoppe previously worked on the hill for more than two decades before becoming a lobbyist. (National Journal)
Technology
  • New York City Councilwoman Jessica Lappin has launched an online platform for her constituents to share ideas and voice concerns about neighborhood issues. Lappin wants to use the technology to help her constituents break down the barriers keeping them from government bureaucracy. (techPresident)
  • MC Hammer, who has traded in his hammer pants for a career as a tech entrepreneur, talked about how social media and technology can help citizens touch their local governments at the 2011 web 2.0 summit in San Francisco. (govfresh)

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2Day in #OpenGov 10/19/2011

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Enjoy the week's halfway point with Wednesday's transparency-related news items, congressional committee hearings, transparency-related bills introduced in Congress, and transparency-related events. News Roundup:

Campaign Finance
  • A Kentucky Circuit Court Judge has issued a restraining order against Restoring America, an independent political group, preventing them from running radio and television ads. The Judge ruled that the group failed to properly report the source of contributions funding their ads, in violation of Kentucky law. Opposition groups have claimed that the ruling is a state-level assault on the Citizens United decision and an appeal is expected. (Lobby Comply)
  • The Justice Department is investigating Rep. Vern Buchanan (R-FL) for possible campaign finance violations. The investigation stems from an FEC probe into allegations that Buchanan directed his former business partner to reimburse employees for donations they made to his campaign. (Roll Call$)
  • FEC filings have revealed that Herman Cain's presidential campaign paid more than $64,000 to his motivational speaking company, T.H.E. New Voice Inc., for copies of his own books, airfare, lodging and more. In the past, the FEC has allowed campaigns to buy copies of their candidate's books, as long as the candidate did not profit from those sales. (Bloomberg News)
Government
  • Emails obtained by Judicial Watch suggest that the White House may have had a hand in closing a workshop on FOIA compliance to the press. (Daily Caller/Yahoo)
  • The Office of Special Counsel is beginning to swap its hapless reputation for a more positive image. The new special counsel, Carolyn Lerner,is off to a strong start in her efforts to better protect Federal whistleblowers. (Washington Post)
  • Federal Inspectors General identified more than $87 billion in potential savings last year, according to an annual report released by the Council of the Inspectors General on Integrity and Efficiency. (iwatch news)
  • The House Ethics Committee has resumed its investigation into allegations that Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. (D-Ill) offered to raise money for former Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich in exchange for an appointment to President Obama's former Senate seat. The committee had previously stopped their investigation following a request from the Justice Department. (Roll Call $)
  • Opinion: Transparency should be measured by outcomes, not just the amount of data government releases. Data needs to be comprehensible and useful to advance transparency and open government goals. (Government Executive)

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2Day in #OpenGov 10/18/2011

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Take a look at Tuesday's transparency-related news items, congressional committee hearings, transparency-related bills introduced in Congress, and transparency-related events. News Roundup:
Government
  • Members of Congress often receive superior customer service and other perks from major companies. Expedited cable and internet service and the ability to book seats on multiple planes while only paying for one flight, are just two examples. (Roll Call$)
  • The quickest way to key committee posts and power in Congress may be to raise a lot of money. Members of powerful committees are expected to donate large sums to party organizations and decision makers. (AlterNet/The Washington Spectator)
  • The National Archive and Records Administration's Chief Archivist, David Ferriero, has spoken up for open and transparent government. He believes that strong records management is the key to openness. (Fierce Government)
  • A new GAO report shows that the average tenure of Federal chief information officers has settled at around two years. Information executives agree that instituting major organizational or policy changes would require 3 to 5 years. (Nextgov)
Campaign Finance
  • Healthcare companies, who are interested in seeing the Super Committee fail, have donated large sums of money to the committee's members. (The Hill)
  • Over the past 4 years more than 90 political campaigns have sold or rented their donor contact lists, raising millions of dollars. The lists are primarily rented to other campaigns, PACs, and foundations. Major beneficiaries of the practice include the campaigns of President Obama, Hillary Clinton, and John McCain. (Roll Call$)
Lobbying and Advocacy
  • The National Association of Letter Carriers is building up its team as it works to save the USPS. It has hired President Obama's former "Car Czar", Ron Bloom, and the investment bank Lazard, which specializes in overhauling complex and financially troubled institution. The association wants to innovate and find new ways to build business at the USPS. (Government Executive)
State and Local
  • A law passed decades ago in Wisconsin could have major repercussions on the effort to recall Governor Scott Walker. The law allows public officials subject to a recall to raise unlimited funds during the time that signatures to force the recall are being collected. (Lobby Comply)
  • The Torrance, CA City Council is considering an overhaul of its ethics regulations. If adopted, ethics rules would extend to candidates for elected office. (Lobby Comply)

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2Day in #OpenGov 10/17/2011

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Jump into Monday with a look at the week's transparency-related news items, congressional committee hearings, transparency-related bills introduced in Congress, and transparency-related events. News Roundup:

Super Committee 
  • Dave Camp (R-MI) has raised more than $475,000 since joining the Super Committee. Among industries facing cuts, healthcare interests paid him the most attention. He also received sizable amounts from the petroleum and agriculture lobbies. (The Hill)
  • Members of the Super Committee have opened up to praise the relationship between co-chairs Sen. Patty Murray (D-WA) and Jeb Hensarling (R-TX). Their amicable relationship could bode well for the committee's chances at success. (Politico)
Government
  • The White House is refusing to hand over internal communications about Solyndria, including President Obama's BlackBerry messages, to House investigators. (Politico)
  • San Francisco has a new public financing fund for mayoral elections. It is intended to help minor candidates compete and limit the influence of large donors. Unfortunately, it may also encourage hopeless candidates and waste taxpayer money. (New York Times)
  • Many government agencies are taking to social media, especially Facebook, but some have been more successful than others. (Government Technology)
  • Maps and GIS data should be an important part of government transparency and accountability efforts. (govfresh)
  • House Democrats are fighting efforts by Republicans to phase out the Election Assistance Commission. Democrats claim that shuttering the EAC would increase the cost of elections and decrease transparency, while Republicans argue that the commission has fulfilled its purpose. (The Hill)
Presidential Candidates
  • Herman Cain is refusing to name his economic or foreign policy advisers. He claims that he doesn't want them exposed to criticism. (National Journal)

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