Here is Thursdays look at transparency-related news items, todays congressional committee hearings, transparency-related bills introduced in Congress yesterday, and transparency-related events being held today.

News roundup:

• Liberal groups and former International Monetary Fund economist Simon Johnson want the forthcoming House-Senate conference for the financial regulation bill to be more transparent. (Talking Points Memo) (The New York Times)
• The Securities and Exchange Commission wants to create a uniform and centralized database of trading data across all stock and options markets. (The Washington Post)
• Center for Responsive Politics data shows that contributions from ten major business sectors are lower this year than at a comparable time in 2008. (The Washington Post)
• A Government Accountability Office report says that as states get more familiar with reporting American Recovery and Reinvestment Act data, the quality of that data has improved. (Government Technology)
• House Democrats say they have enough votes to pass the DISCLOSE Act. (The Hill)

Relevant committee hearings scheduled for 5/27:Senate:

• None

House:

• H.R. 5175 – the Democracy is Strengthened by Casting Light on Spending in Elections (DISCLOSE) Act, House Committee on Rules, Thursday, May 27, 3 p.m. Capitol H-313

Relevant bills introduced 5/26:

Senate:

• A bill to amend the Agricultural Marketing Act of 1946 to require monthly reporting to the Secretary of Agriculture of items contained in the cold storage survey and the dairy products survey of the National Agricultural Statistics Service; to the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry. S. 3426

House:

• A bill to amend the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971 to prohibit corporations which are subject to certain criminal or civil sanctions from engaging in campaign-related activity under such Act, and for other purposes; to the Committee on House Administration. H.R. 5410

Transparency events scheduled for 5/27:

• None