EPA is First Agency Heard on Spending Data Quality
Jun 2, 2010
On May 18, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) became the first agency to release its plan to ensure that federal spending information from the agency is current and of high quality. While the plan details the agency’s current quality procedures, it seems lacking in several areas. Data quality plans for federal spending information were mandated by the Open Government Directive (OGD), but most have not been made public.
read in fullGAO: Recovery Act Reporting Getting Better, But Still Room for Improvement
Jun 2, 2010
When Congress passed the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (Recovery Act) in early 2009, the legislation's transparency provisions represented a significant step forward for government openness. While select agencies and programs have been using recipient reporting for years, the Recovery Act represented the first time such reporting had been attempted across all agencies at once and presented to the public online. Thus, bumps in the road toward transparency and accountability, including data quality problems, were inevitable. A new Government Accountability Office (GAO) report shows that while there are fewer reporting errors as time passes, there is still room for improvement in both data quality and implementation details.
read in fullHouse Hearings Highlight Criticisms of DISCLOSE Act
May 18, 2010
During the first House hearings on the DISCLOSE Act, disagreements and debate arose over the scope and potential impacts of a bill that sponsors say is designed to create new disclosure requirements for various corporate entities that are promoting or opposing candidates for federal office. As Congress continues to move forward with the bill, controversy will likely follow.
read in fullSenate Passes Limited "Audit the Fed" Amendment
May 18, 2010
During the ongoing Senate debate on the financial reform bill, Federal Reserve transparency briefly took center stage. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) introduced an "Audit the Fed" amendment to the bill during the week of May 16, which the Senate approved in a 96-0 vote after the amendment was greatly scaled back. The amendment would instruct the Government Accountability Office to "conduct a one-time audit of all loans and other financial assistance provided during the period beginning on December 1, 2007 and ending on the date of enactment of this Act."
DISCLOSE Act Seeks to Blunt Impacts of Citizens United
May 4, 2010
To blunt the impacts of the U.S. Supreme Court decision in Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission, Rep. Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) and Sen. Charles Schumer (D-NY) recently introduced companion bills, both called the DISCLOSE Act (the Democracy Is Strengthened by Casting Light On Spending in Elections Act). The legislative response would create new, rigorous campaign finance disclosure requirements meant to prevent moneyed interests from drowning out the voices of citizens and smaller advocacy organizations.
Open Government Advocates Grade Federal Agency Openness Plans
May 4, 2010
On May 3, a group of open government experts, including OMB Watch, released a review of federal agencies’ initial Open Government Plans that were published on April 7. Overall, the independent audit organized by OpenTheGovernment.org found that agencies did good work, but much remains to be done.
A Conference to Develop a Long Range Vision for Federal Spending Transparency
Apr 23, 2010 by Craig Jennings
May 20, 2010
9:00 am - 5:30 pm
Washington, D.C.
Hosted by Center for American Progress, Economic Policy Institute, Good Jobs First, OMB Watch, OpenTheGovernment.org, Progressive States Network, Project on Government Oversight, Sunlight Foundation, and Taxpayers for Common Sense
read in fullOpen Government Plans Seek Revamp of Culture and Structure
Apr 20, 2010
On April 7, federal agencies released their individual plans to be more transparent, participatory, and collaborative, pursuant to the Obama administration’s Open Government Directive (OGD). The plans varied in scope and quality, but several interesting trends were noticeable. As agencies update their plans, these trends may become baselines for open government or may be abandoned, depending on how successful key agencies' plans prove to be.
read in fullEPA Plan Seeks to Instill Transparency into Agency DNA
Apr 20, 2010
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has released its plan for improving the agency's transparency as part of the Obama administration's Open Government Directive (OGD). The EPA was an early proponent of the new openness agenda, with EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson calling for the agency to operate "as if it were in a fishbowl." The agency's new Open Government Plan documents numerous ongoing and future actions that should continue the agency's advance toward transparency and accountability.
read in fullOne Small Policy Step, but One Huge Leap for Government Openness: Statement of Gary D. Bass
Apr 7, 2010
WASHINGTON, April 7, 2010—The Obama administration took several actions today that will likely have a lasting and positive impact on government transparency. Each federal agency announced its Open Government Plan, complemented by Office of Management and Budget (OMB) policy changes to reduce certain impediments to transparency and to improve both regulatory and federal spending transparency.
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