• Chairman of the House Oversight committee, Rep. Issa, publicly released the 220 responses from corporations, associations, and small businesses identifying which regulations they felt to be hindering growth. (Roll Call $)(Center for Public Integrity)
• Defense budget experts say the earmark ban is unlikely to succeed due to the importance of military projects and the ability of lawmakers to find alternate ways to direct money to military projects in their districts. (The Hill)
• A new analysis by the Government Accountability Office shows that the National Archives and Records Administration project to create a searchable, electronic database of government documents is likely to run over budget and behind schedule. (Next Gov)
• As momentum and demand for Internet-enabled voting accelerates, the importance of website availability will become increasingly important. Gov Tech finds that there is still work to be done before websites are ready to handle the increased traffic associated with election results, dissemination of election information and online voting. (Gov Tech)
• The National Business Aviation Association told members that the Department of transportation is planning to limit a federal program that allows any aircraft owner to prevent specific flight data from being released to public websites. (Politico)
• Former Federal Air Marshal turned whistleblower Robert MacLean submitted a FOIA request for documentation regarding several retaliatory investigations enacted by the Federal Air Marshal Service against himself and several other whistleblowers. His FOIA request was denied on the grounds that all six thousand pages of documentation were unable to be released due to the personal privacy concerns of those involved with the investigations. (Government Accountability Project)
• Subcommittees have begun holding the first of many of oversight hearings to trim funding for federal agencies and programs, as Appropriations Committee Chair, Rep. Hal Rogers (R-KY), maintains his expectations that appropriations subcommittee chairmen will perform vigorous oversight of agencies funded with taxpayer dollars. (The Hill)
• In relation to the 23 federal charges former Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich is facing, his defense team filed a motion early Tuesday asking for what they say is missing evidence in his corruption trial, including the transcript of a phone call between an aide and Rahm Emanuel, who was then serving on Barack Obama’s presidential transition team. (Politico)
• A cyber-security bill introduced in late 2010 by Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME) and Senate Homeland Security Committee Chairman Joe Lieberman (I-CT) would have given the United States president the ability to shut down private or government internet networks. (Gov Tech)
• Rep. Jane Harman (D-CA) is resigning from Congress to succeed former Rep. Lee Hamilton as president of the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars. (Politico)

Relevant committee hearings scheduled for 2/8:

• None.

Relevant bills introduced:

• S. 299. A bill to amend chapter 8 of title 5, United States Code, to provide that major rules of the executive branch shall have no force or effect unless a joint resolution of approval is enacted into law; to the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs.

Transparency events scheduled for 2/8:

• A Preview of the 112th Congress: Issues and Conflicts. Washington College of Law. Tues. 2/8. 9:00am-4:00pm. 4801 Massachusetts Ave. NW. Washington, DC 20016. Room 603.

• The American Medical Association is having their annual National Advocacy Conference in Washington, DC next week to discuss their legislative agenda, including capping medical malpractice awards and keeping the health care  reform bill largely intact. (Roll Call $)
• On behalf of the Mubarak administration, a team of lobbyists are reminding Congress that Egypt is an important ally whom the United States cannot abandon. (Politico)
• Public safety organizations are pushing Congress to allocate a broadband spectrum to local authorities. Verizon and AT&T, the two companies who already have access to this spectrum, have sided with these organizations. T-Mobile and Sprint, who do not have access, support a plan favored by the FCC to auction of the spectrum and use the proceeds to build communications infrastructure. (Roll Call $)
• Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) introduced an amendment to the Federal Aviation Administration bill to increase the number of national airspace system testing sites from four to 10. Watchdogs claim his amendment is an earmark by another name. (Politico)
• Members could benefit from clear guidance regarding per diem allowances while traveling overseas. The State Department standards state that they only have to return unused per diem allowances when they are receiving an enhanced rate. The OCE found that Members are required to return unused allowances even when solely receiving the regular rate. The House Ethics Committee issued an unclear report on the issue. (Roll Call $)
• Just like former Speakers Pelosi and Gingrich, Speaker Boehner refused C-SPAN’s request to install robotic videocameras in the House chamber. (Tech President)
• Ryan Thompson, chief of staff to Sen. James Inhofe (R-OK), is leaving Capitol Hill to take a job at Ogilvy Government Relations on K St. (The Hill)
• Blind former New York Gov. David Paterson (D) has signed on as a paid, part-time consultant with the National Federation of the Blind. (Roll Call $)
• Federal agencies are increasingly reliant on contractors but many struggle to manage them due to management weaknesses and internal control deficiencies, thereby exposing billions in taxpayer dollars to fraud, waste and mismanagement. (The Center for Public Integrity)