News Roundup:

• The Office of Congressional Ethics asked the House ethics committee to investigate Reps. Tom Price (R-GA), John Campbell (R-CA), and Joseph Crowley (D-NY) over fundraisers held in connection to the financial regulation bill. (The Washington Post) (The Hill) (Roll Call)($) (National Journal)($)
• A Boston developer has been indicted for illegally funnelling campaign contributions to Massachusetts lawmakers. (Roll Call)($)
• The AP looked at the $16.3 million spent by bailed-out banks on lobbying in the first half of this year. (The Washington Post)
• The The Food and Drug Administration launched a new dashboard that tracks the performance of offices in the agency. (nextgov)
• The defeat of Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) in her primary election bucks several trends regarding money in politics. (Open Secrets)

Relevant committee hearings scheduled for 9/1:

• None

Relevant bills introduced:

• None

Transparency events scheduled for 9/1:

• None

• Millions of lobbying dollars were still being spent on the health care issue months after the the health care bill was passed by Congress and signed into law. (Sunlight Foundation Reporting Group)
• Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid will fundraise tomorrow in the office of a California solar energy firm that received $1.37 billion in federal loan guarantees this year. (Party Time)
• 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. (The Open House Project)

News Roundup:

• The Washington Post listed the top spenders among independent groups and political parties on the midterm elections. (The Washington Post)
• Watchdog groups have not reached a consensus on whether the House Ethics Committee should investigate Rep. Eddie Bernice Johnson (D-TX) for steering scholarship money to her friends and family. (The Hill)
• The Office of Congressional Ethics has closed its inquiry into Rep. Earl Pomeroy (D-ND) regarding fundraisers and his vote on the financial regulation bill. (Roll Call)($)
• The Office of Government Ethics plans to revamp its USOGE.gov website to make its audits and other reports easier to access. (nextgov)
• The Transportation Department plans to change how it compiles traffic accident data next month. (nextgov)
• A report from the Brookings Institution finds that apart from a few standouts, many congressional websites are “suboptimal.” (Federal Computer Week)

Relevant committee hearings scheduled for 8/31:

• None

Relevant bills introduced:

• None

Transparency events scheduled for 8/31:

• None

• Kevin Webb discussed using models to draw conclusions from data. (Sunlight Labs)
• Google Summer of Code student Gabriel Joel Pérez shared his experience working on the Sunlight Foundation’s Open State Project. (Sunlight Labs)
• 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. (The Open House Project)

News Roundup:

• Eliza Newlin-Carney looked at how Citizens United and the Target controversy highlight the political implications of corporate campaign contributions. (National Journal)($)
• Rep. Eddie Bernice Johnson (D-TX) admitted to awarding scholarship money to her relatives and the children of a top aide. (The Hill) (Roll Call)($)
• National Journal looked at the impact a primary loss by Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) will have on energy legislation, the Senate Appropriations Committee, and earmarks. (National Journal)($)
• Open Secrets lists how much money lawmakers are getting from both sides of the energy debate. (Open Secrets)
• Open Secrets also profiled lobbyist Anna Aurilio to provide a look at how the congressional influence industry works. (Open Secrets)
• A CREW report found that aides to George W. Bush ignored warning s to preserve White House emails. (The Washington Post)

Relevant committee hearings scheduled for 8/30-9/3:

• None

Relevant bills introduced:

• None

Transparency events scheduled for 8/30-9/3:

• None

• Keenan Steiner provided a first-hand account of the NRA meet-and-greet attended by Republican congressional candidate Kevin Yoder of Kansas. (Party Time)
• 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. (The Open House Project)

News Roundup:

• A U.S. appeals court declined to reconsider its opinion requiring the Federal Reserve to comply with a FOIA request and release bank records. (Project on Government Oversight)
• The Federal Election Commission approved a new rule regulating messages that are the “functional equivalent of express advocacy.” (OMB Watch)
• The FEC also agreed to allow campaigns to spend money on a recount at any time before or after the election. (Roll Call)($)
• Open Secrets looked at the stocks members of Congress own in oil and gas companies. (Open Secrets)
• Attorneys for Rep. Maxine Waters (D-CA) claimed that the House ethics committee is improperly gathering evidence for her upcoming ethics trial. (Roll Call)($)
• A GAO reports finds that almost half of all federal contracts in 2009 were non-competitive. (Government Executive)

Relevant committee hearings scheduled for 8/27:

• None

Relevant bills introduced:

• None

Transparency events scheduled for 8/27:

• None

• Tom Lee made preparations for the potential Googlepocalypse. (Sunlight Labs)
• Ryan Sibley looked at the new independent expenditure committees. (Sunlight Foundation Reporting Group)
• Scott Stadum explained how the Sunlight Foundation uses the file-hosting service Scribd to share documents and promote transparency. (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. (The Open House Project)

News Roundup:

• In an editorial, Katrina vanden Heuvel looked at the impact Citizens United had on fundraising and campaigning. (The Washington Post)
• Doug Wilson, the assistant secretary of defense for public affairs at the Pentagon, briefly discussed balancing transparency and security. (The Washington Post)
• Wikileaks has released a CIA document on the U.S. and its role as “an exporter of terrorism.” (The Washington Post)
• POGO looked at a Bureau of Land Management manager turned lobbyist and his industry ties. (Project on Government Oversight)
• The Federal Reserve asked a U.S. appeals court to stay a ruling forcing the agency to disclose financial documents. (The Wall Street Journal)

Relevant committee hearings scheduled for 8/26:

• None

Relevant bills introduced:

• None

Transparency events scheduled for 8/26:

• None

• Lindsay Young explained how Rep. Maxine Waters (D-CA) legally sold her endorsement for up to $45,000. (Sunlight Foundation Reporting Group)
• Bill Allison further explained the Waters loophole. (Sunlight Foundation Blog)
• Party Time looked at an NRA meet and greet attended by Republican congressional candidate Kevin Yoder of Kansas. (Party Time)
• 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. (The Open House Project)