OMB 2005 Earmarks Database Up and Running

Apr 4, 2007 by Dana Chasin

Without fanfare or forewarning, OMB has, as of this morning, put up its long-promised database on the number and cost of 2005 earmarks, displaying that information by agency and state. The website has very limited sortability functions. But most earmarks entries include a citation back to specific authorizing legislative or report language or, failing that, a citation summary. OMB says there's more to come, including "Browse authorization earmarks" and "Search Website full text" functions.

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Dudley to be Appointed Today, WSJ Reports

Apr 4, 2007 by Matthew Madia

The Wall Street Journal (subscription) is reporting President Bush will recess appoint Susan Dudley to be White House regulatory czar, and that the move is likely to occur today. Meanwhile, the Washington Post's "In the Loop" column is reporting Sen. Joe Lieberman's committee in charge of the nomination will move to consider Dudley sometime after the recess. Reg•Watch reported similar rumors last week.

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Bush's "Fox-guarding-the-henhouse Personnel Plan"

Apr 4, 2007 by Matthew Madia

In today's Washington Post, Ruth Marcus wrote a column deriding the Bush administration's "fox-guarding-the-henhouse personnel plan," in which friends of industry and GOP insiders are rewarded with powerful government jobs.

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Recess Round-Up II: The Status of AMT Reform

Apr 3, 2007 by Dana Chasin

Work continues behind the scenes in the House on AMT legislation as Rep. Richard Neal (D-MA) chair of the House Ways and Means Suncommittee on Select Revenue Measures consults with Ways and Means and Budget Committee chairs Charles Rangel (D-NY) and John Spratt (D-SC). Reportedly under consideration: permanent, deficit-neutral AMT reform built around an exclusion for households below a given level, with increased rates making up the lost revenue -- less drastic than full repeal, previously advocated by Neal.

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BudgetBlogging on TPM Cafe

Apr 3, 2007 by Matt Lewis

Check out Dana's latest post on TPM Cafe- The Budget Resolutions: Whose Largest Tax Increase in History?

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Washington Post on Industry Financing of FDA

Apr 3, 2007 by Matthew Madia

In today's Washington Post, regulatory policy columnist Cindy Skrzycki has a piece on FDA user-fees — money pharmaceutical companies pay so that FDA can conduct safety studies on specific drugs. The column discusses the upcoming reauthorization of the Prescription Drug User Fee Act, as well as FDA's growing penchant for using industry money to fund agency activities. Check it out here.

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Recess Round-Up: Capital Gains and Losses

Apr 3, 2007 by Dana Chasin

First Vote to Extend Capital Gains Rate Fails During its deliberations a couple of weeks ago on the budget resolution, the House Budget Committee "shot down a proposed amendment to extend the 15 percent capital gains tax rate [in] the first vote on the extension of these critical tax cuts," according to the American Shareholders Association blog, Shareholders' Corner. The Committee vote was party-line. An extension of the rate would not have been binding, but the vote offers a glimpse at the rate's future under Democratic leadership. 20/20 foresight?

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RTK NET Publishes 2005 Toxics Release Inventory Data

The Right-to-Know Network (RTK NET) published the 2005 Toxics Release Inventory (TRI) data on March 23, providing public access to important U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) data on the release and transfer of toxic chemicals in the United States. This is EPA's earliest release of the annual TRI data in the history of the program.

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New York Police Watched Nonprofits before 2004 GOP Convention

A March 25 story in the New York Times revealed that the New York City Police Department (NYPD) conducted a covert surveillance program in 14 states, Canada and Europe that collected information on groups planning lawful protests or events at the 2004 Republican National Convention. The information became public as a result of two lawsuits brought against the city by seven of the 1,806 people arrested during the convention. However, the city has asked a federal court to keep detailed records of this surveillance secret, fearing they will be "misinterpreted." The vast scope of the surveillance has become public knowledge at the same time that Congress is investigating Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) abuse of Patriot Act powers to collect information.

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Charities File Friend of Court Brief Supporting Grassroots Lobbying Rights

A group of 17 charities filed an amicus brief in the U.S. Supreme Court case Wisconsin Right to Life v. Federal Election Commission on March 23, urging the Court to protect the right of charities to broadcast grassroots educational and lobbying communications. Multiple amicus briefs have been filed on both sides of the case, which challenges the constitutionality of the "electioneering communications" rule in the Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act of 2002 (BCRA). The rule bans broadcasts that refer to federal candidates and are funded by corporations, including charities, 60 days before a general election and 30 days before a primary. The Court will hold oral argument on April 25, and a decision is expected in the summer or early fall, in time to clarify the law before the 2008 elections.

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