Policy Fellow Matt Rumsey wrote this post.
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:
Campaign Finance
- Barack Obama has relied heavily on bundlers to pull in huge donations for his reelection campaign. Notable new bundlers in the most recent FEC filings are a one-time chief of staff to former President Clinton and “Desperate Housewives” star Eva Longoria. (Washington Times)
- New analysis shows that Stephen Colbert’s focus on super PACs have had a real effect on his audience. Search traffic spikes whenever Colbert mentions the groups on his show. Meanwhile, his own super PAC raised over $1 million in 2011. (Washington Post)
- Some major Democratic super PACs and nonprofits reported raising over $19 million last year. This figure puts them far behind the top Republican groups. (iWatch News)
Government
- Federal investigators found that the Air Force illegally retaliated against four whistleblowers who revealed misconduct at the Dover Air Force Base mortuary. The U.S. Office of Special Counsel recommended disciplinary action against three officials accused of retaliation. (Politico)
- Data.gov has seen mixed results with its launch. Some agencies actively post new data sets in machine-readable formats on a regular basis. But, others have lagged behind in making their data accessible. (Government Executive)
- The British government is testing a new web platform. Gov.UK is open source, mobile friendly, and open for feedback. (O’Reilly Radar)
Relevant committee hearings scheduled for 2/1:
- None.
Relevant bills introduced:
- None.
Transparency events scheduled for 2/1:
- Another Storm Brewing Over Potential UN Regulation of the Internet. Hudson. Wed. 2/1. 12:00-1:30 pm. Betsy and Walter Stern Conference Center, Hudson Institute, 1015 15th Street, NW, sixth floor, Washington, DC 20005.
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