Advisory Committee on Transparency

Here is a look at what happened recently on the Sunlight network.

• Paul Blumenthal began the day with several transparency related headlines including news that Congressman Darrell Issa (R-Calif.) has pledged to keep federal transparency sites online despite budget cuts, reports that the nuclear regulator lets the nuclear industry write the rules, and more. (Sunlight Foundation Blog)
• John Wonderlich announced that the budget deal is online with 72 hours for the public to read and consider the bill. (Sunlight Foundation Blog)
• John Wonderlich announced that House Oversight Committee Chairman Congressman Darrell Issa has pledged to keep e-government transparency sites online despite potential budget cuts. (Sunlight Foundation Blog)
• Patrick Simmons reported that Congressman Allen West (R-Fla.) is holding a fundraiser that includes a four mile run across the National Mall. (Party Time Blog)
• Scott Stadum blogged on his Tool for Transparency, Google Reader. (Sunlight Foundation Blog)
• John Wonderlich defended Data.gov, noting that the current budget battles throws clarity on what it is we could lose if Data.gov were to go dark. (Sunlight Foundation Blog)
• Keenan Steiner noted that four top aides to House Democratic leaders have been tapped to host a fundraiser for the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee. (Party Time Blog)
• Paul Blumenthal began the day with several transparency related headlines including support for Data.gov, news that Karl Rodney, publisher of Carib News, pleaded guilty to lying to Congress about how a 2007 Caribbean conference was financed, and more. (Sunlight Foundation Blog)
• Luigi Montanez looked at the relationship between Data.gov and developers, noting that it acts as a strong foundation that developers can build upon and noted the many projects built from it. (Sunlight Labs Blog)
• Paul Blumenthal reported that revolving door lobbyists populate the Electronic Payments Coalition, a coalition to derail the implementation of rules governing the price charged to retail businesses by banks and credit unions every time a customer uses a debit card to pay. (Sunlight Foundation Blog)
• Paul Blumenthal noted that House Financial Services Committee Chairman Spencer Bachus (R-Ala.) has been showered with financial industry contributions. (Sunlight Foundation Blog)
• Zubedah Nanfuka included the weekly roundup of transparency bloggers, highlighting bloggers from Oregon, Georgia, Connecticut, Oklahoma, and Maryland. (Sunlight Foundation Blog)
• Take a look at the previous day’s transparency-related news items, congressional committee hearings, transparency-related bills introduced in Congress, and transparency related events. (Sunlight Foundation Blog)

Here is a look at what happened yesterday on the Sunlight network.

• Paul Blumenthal began the day with several transparency related headlines including how the budget deal tests the transparency promise made by the Republicans in the House, updates on the Washington-Wall Street corridor, and more. (Sunlight Foundation Blog)
• Daniel Schuman reported that the budget agreement shows major cuts for online transparency initiatives like USASpending.gov and Data.gov, noting that they were cut from $34 million to $8 million. (Sunlight Foundation Blog)
• John Wonderlich mentioned how the public was cut out of the budget negotiations, noting that the bill to continue funding the government will probably not see a full 72 hours online. (Sunlight Foundation Blog)
• Nancy Watzman reported that the consumer complaint database launched by the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) escaped the budget axe (for now). (Sunlight Reporting Group)
• Ali Felski detailed the new website for the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), highlighting the changes made by the FCC and their similarity to the suggestions made by Sunlight. (Sunlight Labs Blog)
• Take a look at the previous day’s transparency-related news items, congressional committee hearings, transparency-related bills introduced in Congress, and transparency related events. (Sunlight Foundation Blog)

Here is a look at what happened recently on the Sunlight network.

• Paul Blumenthal began the day with several transparency related headlines including questioning how open the budget negotiations should be for them 2012 federal budget, the uptick in lobbying for trade organizations, and more. (Sunlight Foundation Blog)
• John Wonderlich looked at public disclosure behind campaign donors, noting that a 2010 Republican nominee for the Senate from Oregon, James Huffman, stated that public disclosure only serves the interest of incumbents running for re-election by discouraging support for challengers. (Sunlight Foundation Blog)
• Take a look at the previous day’s transparency-related news items, congressional committee hearings, transparency-related bills introduced in Congress, and transparency related events. (Sunlight Foundation Blog)

Here is a look at what happened recently on the Sunlight network.

• Paul Blumenthal began the day with several transparency related headlines including why Data.gov should be saved from the budget ax, news of the nuclear lobbying revolving door, and more. (Sunlight Foundation Blog)
• Daniel Schuman postponed the Advisory Committee on Transparency panel on the “Future of CRS” in preparation for a government shutdown. (Sunlight Foundation Blog)
• John Wonderlich questioned the appropriateness of the secrecy of the budget negotiations around the shutdown. (Sunlight Foundation Blog)
• Scott Stadum highlighted Broadcastr, a social media platform for location-based stories, as his Tool for Transparency. (Sunlight Foundation Blog)
• John Wonderlich asked four questioned on the new budget deal, asking about negotiators, the future of e-government, and whether or not this can be done better. (Sunlight Foundation Blog)
• Patrick Simmons looked at the upcoming fundraisers planned despite the threat of a government shutdown. (Party Time Blog)
• Take a look at the previous day’s transparency-related news items, congressional committee hearings, transparency-related bills introduced in Congress, and transparency related events. (Sunlight Foundation Blog)

With apologies for the late notice, the “Future of CRS” panel discussion originally set for this Monday, April 11th, is postponed because of the possible government shutdown. We will announce a new date soon. Please watch your email or check http://transparencycaucus.org/for the latest news.

Here is a look at what happened yesterday on the Sunlight network.

• Paul Blumenthal began the day with several transparency related headlines including news of the thousands of signatures to Sunlight’s Save the Data open letter to Congress, the introduction of the Public Online Information Act in both the House and the Senate, and more. (Sunlight Foundation Blog)
• Daniel Schuman announced that over 2,000 people have signed Sunlight’s open letter to Congress that calls on legislators to save online transparency programs from budget cuts. (Sunlight Foundation Blog)
• Daniel Schuman announced that the latest short term budget resolution proposal by House Republicans funds online transparency programs at half the level as last year instead of cutting them to virtually nothing, showing that Sunlight’s Save the Data response is working. (Sunlight Foundation Blog)
• Daniel Schuman announced that the topic for the next Advisory Committee on Transparency panel will be the future of the Congressional Research Service in the wake of its director’s retirement on April 2. (Sunlight Foundation Blog)
• Tom Lee gave some updates on what’s going on in Sunlight Labs, highlighting updates on Open States, Sunlight Health, Django updates and more. (Sunlight Labs Blog)
• Take a look at the previous day’s transparency-related news items, congressional committee hearings, transparency-related bills introduced in Congress, and transparency related events. (Sunlight Foundation Blog)

Here is a look at what happened yesterday on the Sunlight network.

• Daniel Schuman announced the reintroduction of the landmark Public Online Information Act, introduced by Senator Jon Tester (D-MT) and Representative Steve Israel (D-NY). (Sunlight Foundation Blog)
• Tom Lee looked at the Washingtonian’s story about Bloomberg Government, and questioned the idea of a business that is created around public government data. (Sunlight Labs Blog)
• Take a look at the previous day’s transparency-related news items, congressional committee hearings, transparency-related bills introduced in Congress, and transparency related events. (Sunlight Foundation Blog)