Agenda of House Administration Committee

Nov 10, 2006 by Amanda Adams*

BNA Money and Politics reports that lobbying and ethics reform could top the Democrats' agenda in the 110th Congress. The House Administration Committee, which will most likely be led by Juanita Millender-McDonald (D-Calif.), has worked on campaign finance and lobbying rules in the past and the Help America Vote Act in 2002.

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Responses to Election Day

Nov 10, 2006 by Amanda Adams*

Common Cause has released GETTING IT STRAIGHT: A Preliminary Look at Data Collected from Voters During the Elections of 2006. This report summarizes the information that was called in to the voter assistance hotline 866-MYVOTE-1. As noted, the problems highlight that there are still serious flaws in our voting system.

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Latest Watcher

Nov 9, 2006 by Guest Blogger

Be sure to check out the latest issue of our biweekly newsletter, The Watcher. Reg policy articles this time: EPA Falters on Commitment to Environmental Justice Less than two months after the Inspector General for the Environmental Protection Agency issued a report critical of the agency's commitment to environmental justice, EPA closes the doors of one of its regional offices for minority advocacy.

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Grassley Asks IRS About ACORN

Nov 9, 2006 by Amanda Adams*

As previously reported, Senator Grassley had asked ACORN for information to investigate whether they are at risk for losing their tax exempt status because of voter fraud allegations. ACORN has yet to supply any response to that letter, and Grassley has now contacted the Internal Revenue Service.

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Something Stinks at the IRS

Nov 9, 2006 by Matthew Madia

We have previously reported (see here, here, and here) on the IRS's bizarre plans to outsource some of its tax collection responsibilities to private companies.

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Grand Bargains and Green Bananas -- Pax Tax?

Nov 9, 2006 by Adam Hughes*

We noted, prior to the midterm election, Democrats’ moderate and conciliatory tax and budget agenda rhetoric. Today’s New York Times features a piece chock full of post-election quotations from incoming 110th Congress committee chairs echoing that rhetoric. The peace-pipe palaver hints at a “grand bargain”:

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A Green Light for Pay-Go?

Nov 9, 2006 by Adam Hughes*

Having fallen short in the Senate last year by only one vote and this year on a tie vote, and given a new Democratic majority in both houses of the 110th Congress, with budget hawks poised to take over as chairs of the House and Senate Budget Committees, Pay-Go’s time may finally have arrived. Quoted in BNA, OMB Watch’s Director of Federal Fiscal Policy, Adam Hughes, said, "A one-vote difference" in the Senate could be enough to get it through in that body.”

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Better Late than Never?

Nov 8, 2006 by Matt Lewis

The Cato Institute has a thoughtful blog post challenging a National Review article that said a Democratic-majority Congress means we can say goodbye to the Bush tax cuts.

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Church Electioneering Charges on Eve of Election

Nov 8, 2006 by Amanda Adams*

A day before the election Americans United for Separation of Church and State asked the IRS to investigate four churches because of their political activities. Two of the cases involve Republicans and two Democrats. Bethel AME Church in Cambridge, Maryland hosted a rally for gubernatorial candidate O'Malley, of which AU considers was a partisan rally. Lakeview Assembly of God in Hot Springs, Arkansas advertised in the local newspaper the appearance of gubernatorial candidate Asa Hutchinson, while the opponent was not included in the program.

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Trifecta's Ghosts

Nov 8, 2006 by Matt Lewis

6 minimum wage ballot initiatives passed yesterday, and an initiative to repeal Washington state's estate tax failed. Pretty much all of these initiatives went the way they did by wide margins. And I haven't seen anything on it, but it would be interesting to see how they affected voter turnout. Meanwhile, USA Today has officialy declared estate tax repeal dead. Time: November 7th. As for the federal minimum wage, it may be the first thing passed in the new Congress. We'll have to see how much money it will be raised by, over what time period, and whether it will be indexed to inflation.

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