My blog posts on the GSA so-called scandal and my first You Tube posting received plenty of attention so I figured I would follow it up with more good cheer. I hope my message got across and reason is starting to prevail. What happened to the GSA scandal? It’s barely in the news anymore –Read… Read more »
Here’s a bit of “inside Washington” trivia to pass around the office today – do members of congress have security clearances? The topic of security clearance for elected officials has long been a complex one. Members of congress – even those in sensitive committee positions – do not receive or obtain security clearances in theRead… Read more »
Last week, Chairman of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, Darrell Issa, held a hearing entitled “Where Are All the Watchdogs? Addressing Inspector General Vacancies.” The purpose of the hearing was supposed to be why there are so many vacant Inspector General positions (the Presidentially appointed, Senate confirmed ones anyway). The Project onRead… Read more »
The House took steps last year to post bills online for three days prior to voting in PDF and XML format. If Congress truly wanted transparency and feedback from experts and average citizens on the draft legislation, they should add comment boards for each bill. Either at the bottom of the bill or at theRead… Read more »
Congress is oft portrayed as not doing their jobs, having failed to pass a budget since 2008. Finally, one congressman is doing something about it by proposing a bill that would stop congressional pay if the legislature fails to pass a budget by the due date, without giving back-pay after a budget is passed. TheRead… Read more »
There’s been a lot of talk lately on GovLoop about potential federal pay freezes, employee reductions, and increases in the amount workers must pay into retirement funds. To increase awareness about the proposals, the National Treasury Employees Union (NTEU) has compiled a list of bills aimed at accomplishing the goals listed above. According to theRead… Read more »
Earlier this week, appropriators held a hearing on funding for the legislative agencies that make government information available to the public. Three organizations, the Sunlight Foundation, the Participatory Politics Foundation, and PopVox, filed comments on the importance of making legislative information directly available to the public as a downloadable database, instead of item-by-item, which isRead… Read more »
On Thursday, the Senate Judiciary Committee voted to favorably report a bill that would require the Supreme Court to allow television coverage of its arguments (S. 1945). Currently, only a limited number of citizens are able to see the court’s sessions in person. Audio files of proceedings are released after the fact, but are notRead… Read more »
House Democrats unveiled The DISCLOSE 2012 Act (HR 4010, not up on THOMAS yet) today, a crucial step toward transparency to address the corrupting influence unlimited, secret corporate and union money is having on our elections and our elected officials. Shortly before the second anniversary of the Supreme Court’s disastrous Citizens United decision, the SunlightRead… Read more »
The company benefiting from today’s Nuclear Regulatory Commission decision to approve the construction of the first new nuclear plant in the U.S. in over three decades is an influential powerhouse in Washington. Southern Company, a power company based in Atlanta, has spent $130 million lobbying the federal government since 1998, ranking 17th among all organizations,Read… Read more »