Open, Accountable Government

Feb 8, 2016

Top 400 Taxpayers See Tax Rates Rise, But There’s More to the Story

As Americans were gathering party supplies to greet the New Year, the Internal Revenue Service released their annual report of cumulative tax data reported on the 400 tax r...

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Feb 4, 2016

Chlorine Bleach Plants Needlessly Endanger 63 Million Americans

Chlorine bleach plants across the U.S. put millions of Americans in danger of a chlorine gas release, a substance so toxic it has been used as a chemical weapon. Greenpeace’s new repo...

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Jan 25, 2016

U.S. Industrial Facilities Reported Fewer Toxic Releases in 2014

The Toxics Release Inventory (TRI) data for 2014 is now available. The good news: total toxic releases by reporting facilities decreased by nearly six percent from 2013 levels. Howe...

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Jan 22, 2016

Methane Causes Climate Change. Here's How the President Plans to Cut Emissions by 40-45 Percent.

UPDATE (Jan. 22, 2016): Today, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) released its proposed rule to reduce methane emissions...

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Official Secrets Act Homepage

In 2001, Congress passed -- and President Clinton vetoed -- what would have been this nation's first "official secrets act," criminalizing leaks of any "properly classified" information. This web site presents the essential background for the public debate over this "pernicious secrecy bill," sponsored by Sen. Richard Shelby (R-AL), who will no doubt propose leaks legislation again this year. Official Secrets Act [ OSA Homepage | The Issues | 2001 Attack | Congressional Letter | 2000 Attack | Links ]

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Tax Cuts VS. Everything Else

We can either choose to pay now, or we will have to pay later -- preventing social ills is much cheaper in the long run. From a purely economic standpoint, many economists agree that a return to deficits is not a problem -- running a surplus would actually be more of problem -- and that this economic climate prescribes more government spending, not less.

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Will There Be a Stimulus Package that Actually Does?

As Congress began its formal work in early October 2001 on constructing an economic stimulus package, there was agreement on only a few items, foremost of which is that the bipartisan spirit of the last month has all but disappeared over the course of this debate. With each side accusing the other of being responsible for the demise of bipartisanship, it seemed that the primary cause was a mutual loss of focus on many of the economic stimulus principles the Administration and party leaders from both houses had agreed on less than two weeks ago, namely:

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Economic Stimulus Package Action Alert -- Nov. 7, 2001

A summary of the House action on an economic stimulus package up through November 7, 2001. Also contains talking points to help with calls or letters to Congressional members. An abridged version of this alert, with contact information and talking points, is available from OMB Watch's Activist Central Alert Page. Economic Stimulus Package Background

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Economic Stimulus Proposals Resource Page

The following are analyses, updates and action alerts from OMB Watch and other organizations on the Fall 2001 - Spring 2002 attempts to create an "economic stimulus package."

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Politics Plays Prominent in Government Denial of Service Attack on Itself

Late in the evening on Wednesday, February 16, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) without any warning shut down its Internet services, including its web site and email services. The public, which monthly racks up millions of visits on EPA's web site, could not access EPA's web site (www.epa.gov), and there has been no way to communicate via email with EPA employees. Rep. Thomas J. Bliley (R-VA), who chairs the powerful House Commerce Committee, has been conducting a McCarthy-like campaign against "cyber-terrorism." Instead of Red-baiting,

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City E-Gov Evaluations

San Diego, San Jose, and Seattle are among the best city "e-government" websites in the U.S., according to the August 2001 Civic Resources Group report and Brown University's Taubman Center September 2001 report. The three cities took top spots on both lists.

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Taking Another Look at the Critical Infrastructure Debate

On September 12, one day after the terrorist attack on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, although most hearings were cancelled, the Senate Governmental Affairs Committee convened a hearing on America's critical information infrastructure. The hearing was originally scheduled to examine the security of the critical cyber-infrastructure and to allow the Committee to hear the challenges that remain in government's efforts to secure the critical information infrastructure, which includes telecommunications and transportation, under Presidential Decision Directive 63.

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Critical Infrastructure Information Sign-on Letter

Click here to view a sign-on letter that public interest organizations sent to Senators urging them to oppose attaching S. 1456, the “Critical Infrastructure Information Act," (introduced by Senators Bennett and Kyl) as an amendment to the the bi-partisan bioterrorism bill introduced by Senators Kennedy and Frist or to any other piece of legislation that might move through the Congress in the final days of the session.

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Industry Letter Supporting H.R. 2435 (Davis-Moran) and S. 1456 (Bennett-Kyl)

Link here for an industry letter to President Bush in support of two bill addressing cyber security issues H.R. 2435 (Davis-Moran) and S. 1456 (Bennett-Kyl).

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