NEWS ROUNDUP:

• The Office of Government Ethics weighed in in favor of the recent NAPA report that recommended indefinite suspension of a STOCK Act requirement that would have put financial disclosure reports from 28,000 Federal employees online. (Washington Post)
• Wal-Mart is lending its might to the National Retail Federation, one of Washington's bigger retail trade associations. The NRF has invested heavily in its Washington presence recently, spending more than $3.5 million lobbying last year. (The Hill)
• New York State Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli has helped convince several Fortune 500 to tell their shareholders about political contributions that they make with corporate funds. DiNapoli targets companies held in the New York State Retirement fund and has come to agreements with 18 over the past three years. (K Street cafe)
• A former deputy Senate Sergeant at Arms and high level aide to Majority Leader Harry Reid is taking a trip through the revolving door. Martina Bradford, who is no stranger to the influence industry with previous stints at Akin Gump Strauss Hauer and Feld as well as AT&T, is joining the Bockorny Group as a principal. (The Hill)
• ManaBalss, an effort to get Latvian citizens directly involved in their government, has had some significant successes since it launched in 2010. It is seen as a big step in a country that has seen low levels of political engagement and trust in government. (Tech President)

NEWS ROUNDUP:

• The Indian government sponsored its first hackathon over the weekend. more than 1,900 participants located at 10 education institutions across the country hacked on apps and infographics related to India's latest 5 year-plan. (Tech President)
• Meanwhile, the White House is hosting its second hackathon on Jun 1. They've set the lofty goal of creating "full, production-ready applications and visual tools," that can be used on the We The People petition system. (Federal Computer Week)
• Companies are likely to pursue a variety of strategies as they fight to save their favorite credits during the looming fight over tax reform. A number of them have hit on the same idea: find a path to the power. To this end, a diverse set of firms has signed up lobbyists with strong ties to Senate Finance Chair Max Baucus.  (New York Times)
• Yvette Fontenot,  one of the Obama administration's top health care officials, is joining Democratic lobbying shop Avenue Solutions. She previously served stints at HHS and in the White House Office of Health Reform, where she helped to implement Obamacare. (The Hill)
• On the other side of the aisle, former GOP staff director and general counsel for the House Administration Committee Phil Kiko is joining the Smith-Free group. The firm represents companies like Bank of America, MasterCard, and Sony Pictures. (The Hill)
• By the end of April all five remaining FEC commissioners will be serving expired terms. The FEC has an increasingly large workload and has often failed to enforce the most basic rules or agree to pursue the most obvious violations. (Roll Call)
• Ready for Hillary PAC is gaining some momentum in its quest to support Hillary Clinton's not yet existent 2016 White House bid. Last week James Carville wrote an email supporting the group's efforts and now Harold Ickes, a major Clinton fundraiser and strategist, as signed on to advise the PAC and help them raise money. (Washington Post)