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2Day in #OpenGov 10/12/2011

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

Government
  • POGO has filed FOIA and Mandatory Declassification Review requests for the secret memo that the US government issued to justify killing radical cleric, and US citizen, Anwar al-Awlaki. (POGO)
  • HHS is planning to follow in NOAA's footsteps as it attempts to lower health care costs. They plan to release massive amounts of health care data in an attempt to spur private sector innovation. (Nextgov)
Technology
  • The House of Representatives has released a tablet-ready website for watching live, streaming video of floor proceedings. The site combines video from the floor with links to bill text and information on votes. Try it for yourself at houselive.gov (techPresident)
  • OPM has spent the past 18 months overhauling USAjobs.gov, the Federal government's largest job application resource. The new version is expected to be fully functional today. (Fierce Government)
  • Open Town Hall aims to provide governments with a place to host online comment forums that have the same level of decorum and discourse as public meetings. The platform is currently used by more than 25 agencies and elected officials. (govfresh)
Lobbying
  • As the dust settles after the collapse of Solyndra energy companies and stakeholders are rushing to flex their lobbying muscle. More than 40 groups have hired lobbyists to work on energy issues since the beginning of August. (Roll Call)
  • A 75 member coalition has come together to push for reform that would give shareholders a larger voice in corporate political spending decision. They have their sights set on reforms at the SEC, as well as federal and state legislation. (Roll Call)

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2Day in #OpenGov 10/11/2011

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

Super Committee 
  • Republicans and Democrats have found a rare issue to agree on; Super Committee transparency. Members of both parties are concerned that the committee has conducted too much of its business in secret. The opaque process may make it difficult for congress and the public to accept the panel's recommendations. (New York Times)
Campaign Finance
  • President Obama has received more money from Wall Street than any other politician over the past 20 years. The Daily Caller cites the Sunlight Foundation in their report. (Yahoo/Daily Caller)
  • Debbie Wasserman Schultz, chairwoman of the DNC, no longer accepts campaign donations from federal lobbyists and PACs. However, her old leadership PAC is still raising funds from those sources. (Politico)
  • The New Mexico Republican party has filed a law suit alleging that a state law limiting contributions, to or by, political parties to $5,000 is unconstitutional. (LobbyComply)
Government
  • The Obama administration issued a secret legal memo that paved the way for the killing of radical Muslim cleric Anwar al-Awlaki. Reportedly, the memo stated that killing al-Awlaki would be lawful if it was not feasible to take him alive. (New York Times)
  • The Federal government forced Google and Sonic, an internet provider, to reveal data with a secret court order. The order was part of an effort to gain information from the email of WikiLeaks volunteer Jacob Appelbaum. (Politico)
State and Local
  • Dayton, Ohio is turning to new technology in an effort to reward residents for recycling. Since the program's inception last month, recycling rates are up 40%. (govtech)
  • New York City's Chief Digital Officer Rachel Sterne highlighted the city's open government efforts in a presentation to the Strata conference. (govfresh)
Relevant committee hearings scheduled for 10/11-10/14: Senate
  • Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs. Hearings to examine labor-management forums in the Federal government. SD-342. Tues. 10/11, 2:30 pm. Subcommittee on Oversight of Government Management, the Federal Workforce, and the District of Columbia.
  • Budget. Hearings to examine improving the congressional budget process. SD-608. Wed. 10/12, 9:30 am. Full committee hearing.
  • Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs. Hearings to examine ten years after 9/11, focusing on a status report on information sharing. SD-342. Wed. 10/12, 10:30 am. Full committee hearing.
House
  • Foreign Affairs. Markup on H.R. 2829: To promote transparency, accountability, and reform within the United Nations system, and for other purposes. 2172 RHOB. Thurs. 10/13, 12:00 pm.
  • House Administration. Federal Election Commission: Reviewing policies, processes, and procedures. 1310 LHOB. Thurs. 10/13, 3:00 pm. Subcommittee on Elections.

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2Day in #OpenGov 10/7/2011

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Welcome in the weekend with today's look at transparency-related news items, congressional committee hearings, transparency-related bills introduced in Congress, and transparency-related events. News Roundup:

Super Committee 
  • Ten members of the Super Committee received $83,000 in donations from PACs representing 19 of the biggest political donors in August. (NYTimes)
Government
  • Data.gov, Performance.gov, and USAspending.gov are likely to remain top priorities for the E-Government Fund in FY2012, according to a General Services Administration official. (Federal Computer Week)
  • Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid invoked a rarely used procedure - called the "nuclear option" - in the Senate last night to prevent Republicans from forcing politically-charged votes. (The Hill)
  • OMB issued final guidance on President Obama's June 2010 memo seeking to prohibit registered lobbyists from serving on federal advisory committees. (POGO)
  • A commission established to advise state and local governments on how to implement cloud computing held its first meeting. (GovTech)
  • The EPA has not conducted a workforce analysis in twenty years, according to a new report released by the EPA Inspector General. (POGO)
  • Draft legislation from the OFfice of Special Counsel would prevent federal employees from automatically losing their jobs for violating the Hatch Act. (GovExec)
Access to Information
  • A new executive order will mandate that federal agencies better protect classified information while still maintaining inter-agency cooperation. (Gov Exec)(Politico)
  • If classifiers were required to justify their classification decisions more precisely then they would classify less, according to a new report from the Brennan Center for Justice. (FAS Project on Government Secrecy)
  • The number of FOIA cases filed nationwide increased 27 percent during the last fiscal year. (The Blog of LegalTimes)
  • Despite President Obama urging agencies to improve their compliance with FOIA requests, many apparently "missed the message." (Investigative Reporting Workshop)
Lobbying
  • Active lobbying around the implementation of the Dodd-Frank financial reform bill may leave some regulations effectively meaningless. (The New Republic)
Revolving Door
  • A top official from the Energy Department who headed the office that awarded Solyndra millions in grants is leaving the agency for a position at a Washington think tank. (Washington Times)
State and Local
  • New York Mayor Mike Bloomberg is transforming New York City using data to increase government transparency. (O'Reilly Radar)

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