Publications

Federal Election Commission Seeks Comments on Rule that Could Gag Charities around Elections

The Federal Elections Commission (FEC) is considering changes that could affect the advocacy voice of charities across the country. Currently charities are strictly prohibited from electioneering, and are thus not covered by campaign finance law. However, the FEC is reviewing current rules regarding communications made 30 days prior to primary elections and 60 days before general elections, and weighing whether charities should be limited in mentioning a candidate for federal office during those periods.

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Town Seeks to Keep Secret Maps, Images

Officials in the town of Greenwich, Connecticut are compiling a list of vulnerable public buildings and utilities and plan to withhold aerial images and maps of these sites from the public, despite having been ordered by the Connecticut Supreme Court to disclose them. Mapping information has been a continual target for proponents of increased government secrecy, even though little evidence supports their claims that such information is too dangerous to remain public.

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Legislative Update: Federalism Bills

Legislative developments brewing in the 109th Congress could alter the relationships between the federal and state governments, thus potentially distorting important regulatory protections. Unfunded Mandates Reform Act Revisions

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Congressional Budget Office Projections: No Change in Bleak Long-Term Fiscal Outlook

Just over a month after the White House released its misleading and overly optimistic budget projections, the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) released an update to their Budget and Economic Outlook last week. The CBO report is far more realistic in its long-term assumptions and therefore shows little change in our country's dismal long-term fiscal outlook.

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Latest Watcher

Aug 9, 2005 by Guest Blogger

Be sure to check out the latest issue of our biweekly newsletter, The Watcher. Reg policy articles this time: High Court Nominee Admits Lobbying OMB, FDA Why Performance Standards May Be Superior to Cap-and-Trade

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Latest OMB Watcher: August 8, 2005

Aug 9, 2005 by Adam Hughes*

Below are the latest budget and tax articles from the OMB Watcher:
  • Estate Tax Vote Slated for September -- Take Action Now
  • Office of Management and Budget Continues to Manipulate Budget Projections
To receive the OMB Watcher by email, sign up here

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Why Performance Standards May Be Superior to Cap-and-Trade

Cap-and-trade regimes do a worse job at stimulating innovative pollution control methods than performance standards, according to a new scholarly article challenging the industry-backed position that emissions trading and market-based programs are inherently superior to so-called “command-and-control” regulation. This analysis reviews the article and outlines the reasons why performance standards may be superior to cap-and-trade.

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Attorney General Considers Writing New FOIA Memo

Attorney General Alberto Gonzales recently announced he would reconsider the government's position on the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), previously established in a controversial 2001 memo by then Attorney General John Ashcroft. The Ashcroft memo, which has been criticized by open government advocates, directed federal agency officials to presumptively withhold information requested under FOIA if they were uncertain whether the information should be released.

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First Public Case of Critical Infrastructure Information

A New Jersey resident, requesting access to a township's electronic map of land parcels, has brought to light the first public example of a law that hides information that meets standards for "critical infrastructure information" (CII). The local municipal utility denied the resident’s request for land parcel information, because the data had been protected by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) under the CII program.

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Cities Tackle Chemical Transportation Security

When a freight train accident took eight lives in South Carolina earlier this year because of unsafe and uninspected train cars carrying toxic materials, it heightened concerns about chemical security in our trains and trucks. Cities across the nation have begun addressing serious deficiencies on this homeland security issue because the federal government has done little. Boston, Cleveland, Chicago, and Baltimore are all considering legislation to mitigate the risks of shipping hazardous materials through their heavily populated centers.

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