In his first extensive interview about his membership on the Super Committee—the super powerful deficit reduction committee charged with finding $1.5... View Article
Continue reading2Day in #OpenGov 9/12/2011
Here's Monday's 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
- Sen. Kerry (D-MA) says he will avoid lobbyists and fundraisers while the Super Committee tries to find $1.5 trillion in spending cuts. (Boston Globe)
- Ogilvy Government Relations, a major K Street lobby firm, has launched a separate Spanish-language website to cater to clients from the Hispanic community. (The Hill)
- Set to be launched next month, YouLobby intends to help voters combine their resources to buy the expensive lobbying influence that previously only well-resourced groups have had access to. (Roll Call $) The site is expected to serve as a "sort of Kickstarter for lobbying campaigns." (techPresident)
- Boutique lobbying firm Thorn Run Partners has hired a former staffer to House Judiciary Chairman Lamar Smith. (National Journal)
- National Journal provides commentary on the White House's new E-Petition site, "We the People," which will be launched next month. (National Journal)
- Public Knowledge is planning to build a micro-site to draw attention to the impact of when Internet service providers cap the amount of data customers can use. (National Journal)
- A bilateral codeathon will be held in Washington, DC and Moscow, Russia to promote open government initiatives. (Huffington Post)
- The New York City Campaign Finance Board has proposed new rules requiring certain independent expenditures to be reported. (Lobby Comply Blog)
E-Gov Funding Up for Consideration by Senate Approps on Wednesday
This Wednesday, the Senate Appropriations Committee will markup legislation that appropriates funding for the electronic government fund. The e-gov fund... View Article
Continue reading2Day in #OpenGov 9/9/2011
It's still raining, but at least it's Friday! Here's today's look at transparency-related news items, congressional committee hearings, transparency-related bills introduced in Congress, and transparency-related events. News Roundup: Government
- Watchdog groups want the SEC to require full disclosure of corporate political spending by publicly traded companies which, according to a new Harvard/Public Citizen report, could even boost the companies' market value. (TPM)
- House Democrats are pushing for tougher ethics standards for Supreme Court justices, advocating for a hearing on a bill that would require justices to witdraw from cases where they may have a financial or political conflict of interest. (NYTimes)
- The Health and Human Services Department is updating its regulations to address new technologies. (Federal Computer Week)
- The FBI is investigating half a billion dollars in federal loan guarantees granted to Solyndra, a California-based solar panel manufacturer that collapsed last week. (Washington Post)
Campaign Finance
- Former presidential candidate John Edwards' campaign finance trial has been delayed until January. (Washington Post)
- American Crossroads and Crossroads GPS have set a fundraising goal twice the $120 million goal they announced earlier this year. (iWatch News) Mississippi Governor Haley Barbour has signed on to aid Crossroads' fundraising efforts. (Roll Call $)
- As part of its fellowship program Code for America is sending technologists to spend a year in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; Macon, Georgia; and Detroit, Michigan. (techPresident)
- A new NYC app provides zoning, building, and property information for specific properties around the city. (Government Technology)
- Philadelphia's proposed redistricting will count as a measure of the success of a group of political activists attempting to influence the redistricting process through do-it-yourself technology. (techPresident)
- California is reorganizing the state's Technology Agency into two distinct sections. (GovTech)
More on Open Meetings for the Super Committee
A number of press reports suggest today that the Super Committee’s rules permit it to close meetings to the public.... View Article
Continue readingSuper Committee Transparency Update: Rules Adopted
The “Super Committee” has just finished its first organizational meeting, and we now know a little more about how it’s... View Article
Continue reading2Day in #OpenGov 9/8/2011
Here is Thursday's look at transparency-related news items, congressional committee hearings, transparency-related bills introduced in Congress, and transparency-related events. News Roundup: Super Committee
- A bipartisan bill aimed at increasing the transparency of the Super Committee was introduced Wednesday by Reps. Renacci, Loebsack, and Quigley. (The Hill)
- Lobbyists from all sides are targeting the Super Committee, looking to avoid being subjected to deep spending cuts as the committee tries to reduce $1.5 trillion from the federal budget. (Politico)
- At least nine of the twelve Super Committee members have campaign fundraisers lined up for this fall, including one fundraiser scheduled for the night before the committee's first meeting. (Washington Post)
- Many federal websites are not up to par, with almost a quarter being unreachable and only a third using modern content management systems, according to a newly released data analysis. (techPresident)
- The SEC has ordered its enforcement staff to stop destroying investigative records. (Washington Post)
- $40.3 million in social security benefits have been paid to deceased people since 2008, according to a Social Security IG report. (POGO)
Lobbying
Technology
- The White House's revolving door ban and stringent lobbying rules are having the opposite of their intended effect and actually pushing public sector groups away from more disclosure, according to a report released by the Center for Public Integrity. (Politico)
- Business groups and lobbyists continue to argue that a temporary tax break on foreign earnings could boost the U.S. economy and create jobs. (The Hill)
- The now-bankrupt solar energy firm Solyndra sent representatives to the White House to meet with administration officials on numerous occasions between March 2009 and April 2011. (Yahoo!)
- The Kuwait government repeatedly lobbied the U.S. State Department on behalf of First Kuwaiti, the company responsible for the problematic construction of the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad, according to a newly released Wikileaks cable. (POGO)
- The Air Transport Association has hired former Bush Administration senior lobbyist Christine Burgeson. (National Journal)
- Google Plus is not yet an effective tool for government agencies to add to their social network presence. (Government Technology)
- White House Press Secretary Jay Carney is hosting a Twitter town hall on Friday to answer questions from @WhiteHouse followers who applied to attend via web form. (techPresident)
Campaign Finance
- Companies that keep their political spending hidden from shareholders have less market value, according to a research report released by Harvard law and Public Citizen. (Federal Times)
Bipartisan Bill Would Expose Efforts to Influence Super Committee
Representatives Loebsack (D-IA), Quigley (D-IL) and Renacci (R-OH) introduced the Deficit Committee Transparency Act today, an important bill that would... View Article
Continue readingAgency Responses to House Oversight Committee’s Survey Show Excessive Manual Data Entry
Yesterday, the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform released agency responses to a survey on agencies’ internal financial management... View Article
Continue reading2Day in #OpenGov 9/7/2011
Here is Wednesday's rainy look at transparency-related news items, congressional committee hearings, transparency-related bills introduced in Congress, and transparency-related events. News Roundup: Super Committee
- Sarah Kuehl, a veteran Senate Budget Committee staffer, has been selected to serve as deputy staff director for the Super Committee. (National Journal)
- It will be "very, very hard" for the Super Committee to come to an agreement, according to Senate Minority Whip Jon Kyle (R-AZ). (Politico)
Government
Access to Information
- Google is arguing that the Interior Department failed to conduct sufficient research before choosing Microsoft for a $20 billion federal cloud contract. (National Journal)
- After months of delay and millions in cost, Performance.gov is up and running, but is lacking substantive data. (Federal Times)(Federal Computer Week)
- Richard Cordray, nominated to head the new Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) will be considered by the Senate Banking Committee. (Executive Gov)(Market Watch)
- Rep. Shelley Berkley is pushing against accusations that her relationship with her husband, a kidney specialist, has created conflicts of interest. (Las Vegas Review-Journal)
- The D.C. Open Government Coalition (DCOGC) obtained résumés of over 60 top political appointees in Mayor Vincent C. Gray’s administration that were previously withheld under FOIA. (DCOGC)
- A review of how agencies manage their business and accounting information technology systems indicates that not enough data is being publicly released, according to House Oversight Committee Chairman Darrell Issa (R-CA). (Next Gov)
- A year after being warned that it could be violating federal law, the SEC is still illegally destroying records of closed enforcement cases, according to a whistleblower. (Washington Post)
- Federal agencies often use manual processes to transfer information between their IT management systems, according to the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee. (Federal Computer Week)
- He Said, She Said is a web application that screen scrapes and parses PDFs of local government meeting minutes into readable text and usable data. (techPresident)
- Opinion: David Perera writes that federal fear of open source technology causes the government to avoid cost saving opportunities. (Fierce Government)
Lobbying
State and Local
- Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT) is having a one-on-one meeting with Google Executive Chairman Eric Schmidt Wednesday. (National Journal)
- The lobbying firm BGR Government Affairs has hired Erskine Wells, deputy chief of staff to Sen. Roger Wicker (R-MS.). (The Hill)
- A campaign staffer handling the finances of top California Democrats allegedly embezzled over $600,000 from a state assemblyman. (Roll Call $)
- Nebraska has voted to approve a fund to reimburse the governor's spouse for expenses resulting from his or her position as first spouse that won't conflict with state gift and contribution laws. (Lobby Comply Blog)
- Cook County, Illinois is setting a high standard for local open government initiatives with Look at Cook. (O'Reilly Radar)
- Kentucky's ethics commission has issued recommendations for reforming the state's ethics code. (Lobby Comply Blog)
International
- At least 17 countries are participating in the Open Government Partnership, an international coalition working to increase transparency and open government around the world. (techPresident) The number may now be as high as 22 participating countries at the partnership's launch. (Huffington Post)
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