As stated in the note from the Sunlight Foundation′s Board Chair, as of September 2020 the Sunlight Foundation is no longer active. This site is maintained as a static archive only.

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2Day in #OpenGov 10/18/2012

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NEWS ROUNDUP: Government

  • SEC records mismanagement? A new report from the SECs Inspector General reveals that the agencies records management practices are in disorder. The agency disputed the finding, claiming that they had made improvements, including the appointment of their first archivist in 2007, that were not noted in the report. (Federal Computer Week)
  • GPO and Treasury team up: The US Government Printing Office is teaming up with the Treasury department for a pilot program that would put historic information from the Treasury Library on the GPO's online document depository FDsys. (FDLP)

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The IRS Should Stop Ignoring Dark Money

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For voters disgusted by nasty campaign ads and frustrated that they don’t know who is paying for them, there is plenty of blame to go around. The Supreme Court for allowing the dark money takeover of our elections, Congress for failing to enact the DISCLOSE Act, the Federal Election Commission for its failure to enforce laws already on the books. Add to that list the IRS, for its apparent willingness to look the other way while millions of dollars are laundered through fake nonprofit organizations whose only purpose is to influence elections.

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Las Vegas Tops Political TV Ad Filings

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chart of political ad files in Political Ad Sleuth Of the 50 TV advertising markets where stations have been putting political ad files online since Aug. 2, Las Vegas has the most disclosures on Political Ad Sleuth, with more than 2,300 filings. If you just look at Senate races, though, the No. 1 spot goes to Pennsylvania, which has Sen. Bob Casey, Jr. (D) facing challenger Tom Smith. Political Ad Sleuth, a project of the Sunlight Foundation and Free Press, is just one week old and already the amount of political ad filings on TV are hitting record numbers. Be sure to check out how your local media market ranks.

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2Day in #OpenGov 10/17/2012

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NEWS ROUNDUP: Government

  • Electronic access to lab test results: A regulation proposed by HHS in 2011 would expand patient access to electronic versions of their lab test results, which was excluded from a 2009 modernizing patient access to electronic medical records. A number of groups have signed a letter in support of the rule. (O'Reilly Radar)
  • Finding abuse in mountains of data: According to panelists at a FedInsider Leadership Forum, The IRS and SEC are beggining to embrace new data mining tools to detect evidence of fraud and abuse in large amounts of data. (Government Executive)

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2Day in #OpenGov 10/16/2012

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NEWS ROUNDUP: Government

  • Tangherlini talks innovation: Dan Tangherlini, acting administrator of the GSA, outlined some avenues towards innovationthat his agency is pursuing. Speaking at a seminar at George Washington University, he highlighted telecommuting, mobile devices, social media use, and crowdsourcing. (Executive Government)
  • Romney to lobbyists- You're hired? Lobbyists are hopeful that if Mitt Romney wins the presidency his administration will be more open to hiring them than President Obama, who signed an executive order keeping many lobbyists from moving to jobs in the White House. (Politico)
  • Ch-Ch-Ch-Changes: Several staff changes on K Street came to light today. Notably, a former chief of staff to Rep. Kay Granger (R-TX) headed through the revloving door. Chelsey Pendrod Hickman is joining the Grossman Group as a lobbyist. (National Journal)

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2Day in #OpenGov 10/15/12

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NEWS ROUNDUP: Government

  • Sequestration lobbying abounds: With sequestration, or automatic spending cuts, looming in the federal government, lobbying groups are increasing efforts to protect their special interests. They are also calling for revenue-raising measures.  (Government Executive)
  • SEC receives poor marks on recordkeeping: The federal agency monitoring Wall Street records failed to properly handle its own records, according to a recent audit. The report showed Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) employees are not always clear about what records to keep and what to destroy, among other problems. (POGO)

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STOCK Act Sausage Making

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If ever there were an example of knee-jerk legislating, the STOCK Act may be it. A thoughtful and comprehensive bill, introduced by Rep. Slaughter, languished for years until some bad publicity made Members of Congress decide to “take action.” But in their haste to demonstrate they were responsive to the public’s outcry over allegations of congressional insider trading, Congress passed a watered down version of the bill. Furthermore, since passing the STOCK Act, Congress has twice acted to delay implementation of the bill, citing the risk of unintended consequences of the transparency measures they enacted. The hurry up and wait method of legislating leaves one to wonder what will be disclosed when the sausage making is complete.

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Law Via the Internet

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This week saw Cornell's Law Via the Internet, a gathering dedicated to free access to government information, with a special emphasis on legal and regulatory data. It was highly energizing to see all the terrific projects represented there, and to meet the people behind them. If you're not aware, Cornell's Legal Information Institute is the preeminent place to read the law of the land (the US Code) on the Internet. They have been doing this for 20 years, since 1992—when the Internet was a much newer place, and when publishing the laws online was an act of radical democracy. We think of "having laws online somewhere" as self-evident and obvious now, but it wasn't always so. Because of their foresight, law.cornell.edu is known by just about every law student and legal professional in the country, often moreso than the official resources.

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