Policy Fellow Matt Rumsey wrote this post.
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:
Campaign Finance
- Senator John Tester (D-MT) took a cue from Senate candidates in Massachusetts and publicly challenged his Republican opponent, Rep. Denny Rehberg, to sign a pledge publicly rejecting TV and radio ads from third-party groups. (Politico)
- Rep. Fred Upton (R-MI) endorsed Mitt Romney in advance of the Michigan Republican primary. The same morning, Upton had a fundraiser hosted by Romney’s campaign lawyer Ben Ginsberg. (Republic Report)
- The U.S. Chamber of Commerce jumped into the 2012 House and Senate elections. The Chamber will spend $10 million to advertise in eight Senate and 12 House races. (National Journal)
Government
- There are currently 12 vacant Inspector General positions across the federal government. Where Are All the Watchdogs tracks the vacancies and provides information on the necessity of IGs. (POGO)
- Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington filed a complaint against Rep. Michael Grimm (R-NY) over allegations that he accepted illegal campaign contributions. The story first came to light as part of a New York Times report. (The Hill)
International
- Users of the Chinese microblogging service Weibos who are located in Beijing are being required to post under their real names or be banned from the service. (Yahoo/Digital Trends)
- South Korean prosecutors indicted a freedom-of-speech activist for retweeting messages from an official North Korean government twitter account. The activist claimed his actions were meant as satire. (Global Voices)
Relevant committee hearings scheduled for 2/9:
House:
- None.
Senate:
- Business meeting to consider S.1945, to permit the televising of Supreme Court proceedings. 10:00 am. 226 DSOB. Judiciary Committee.
Relevant bills introduced:
- None.
Transparency events scheduled for 2/9:
- Silencing Dissent: The Assault on Free Speech in Latin America. AEI. 10:00-11:30 am. AEI, 12th floor, 1150 17th Street, NW Washington, DC 20036.
- The Future of Public Access to Taxpayer-Funded Research. Thurs. 2/9 12:00-1:45 pm. 2000 L Street, NW, 7th floor, Washington, DC.
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