Publications :  The Watcher :  OMB Watcher Vol. 4: 2003 :  October 20, 2003 Vol. 4 No. 21 : 

In This Issue

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Appropriations and Emergency Supplemental (10/20/2003)
Update on the President's emergency supplemental appropriation for Iraq and Afghanistan and the status of the remaining regular appropriations.

OMB Watch Goes on the Road with a State-by-State Analysis of the Estate Tax and Charitable Giving (10/20/2003)
OMB Watch’s John Irons is on the road to promote a new study that details state-by-state analysis of charitable losses from the estate tax repeal.

Passage of the CARE Act Remains Uncertain (10/20/2003)
A CARE Act update.

Internet Taxation and the State Fiscal Picture (10/20/2003)


JOB WATCH (10/20/2003)


Texas Attorney General's Ruling Undermines Public Access (10/20/2003)
On Oct. 6 the Texas Attorney General rejected the Sunshine Project’s request for access to University of Texas Medical Branch (UTMB) Institutional Biosafety Committee (IBC) records under the Texas Public Information Act. This decision prohibits the public from accessing information regarding human health and environmental damages that might result from IBC's research on biological weapons agents. The Sunshine Project has been seeking information on the committee’s membership, policies, meetings and decisions for over a year. UTMB contends these documents contain intellectual property and are so sensitive that a judge may not view them.

EPA Releases Final ECHO Database (10/20/2003)
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has completed the pilot phase of its Enforcement and Compliance History Online (ECHO) website. EPA finalized the site after reviewing extensive feedback received on the pilot version from the general public, public interest groups, government users, trade associations and regulated entities.

Ohio Bill Prohibits Access to Health Information (10/20/2003)
The Ohio Senate Finance Committee voted in favor of a bill that allows the Ohio Department of Health to hide information from the public during health department investigations. The provisions were part of Ohio State Senate’s bioterrorism legislation (S 6) aimed at improving response to public health emergencies in the event of a biological terrorism attack.

Scientists Advise Self-Censorship (10/20/2003)
In an effort to avoid a system of government-imposed secrecy, a National Academy of Sciences (NAS) panel recently recommended biologists engage in a system of self-censorship. The panel advocated a process of review, at the university and federal levels, for research that could help terrorists make biological weapons.

FEC Says Donor Lists Cannot be Used for Sending Educational Materials (10/20/2003)
In June the National Center for Tobacco-Free Kids (NCTFK) asked the Federal Election Commission (FEC) for an Advisory Opinion (AO) on whether it can use donor information from the FEC database to target educational mailings. NCTFK is a nonpartisan organization exempt under Section 501(c)(3) of the tax code. The FEC went against the recommendation of its General Counsel and denied the request.

New Resources Can Help Nonprofits Get Out the Vote (10/20/2003)
Nonprofits can significantly increase civic participation and reinvigorate democracy in America by simply registering people to vote. Some nonprofits are using local voter databases to cross-reference their membership lists in order to target their registration efforts more effectively. It can even help raise money for nonprofits: Working Assets has kicked off a campaign to register one million new voters by paying nonprofits for each new voter registered.

Administration Issues Watered-Down Food Import Rules (10/20/2003)
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recently issued watered-down standards requiring food importers to provide advanced notice of shipments bound for the United States.

Whistleblower Says OSHA Blocked Testing of Inspectors Exposed to Toxic Metal (10/20/2003)
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has refused to provide blood tests to 500 current and former inspectors who may have been exposed to beryllium, a highly toxic metal, despite recommendations from scientific and medical staff, according to an agency regional administrator.

Administration Lifts Restrictions for Dumping Mining Waste (10/20/2003)
The Bush administration recently announced it is ending a Clinton-era policy that restricted the amount of public land mining companies can use for dumping waste.

State Tour Scheduled for EPA's Draft Report on the Environment (10/20/2003)
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recently announced it will hold five public meetings across the U.S. to hear comments on the “Draft Report on the Environment” and discuss the future of the project.

Pentagon Puts Public Papers Back Online (10/20/2003)
The Department of Defense returned a large collection of unclassified policy directives to its web site, Secrecy News reported on Oct. 16.

Supreme Court Is Asked to Hear a Case on Government Secrecy (10/20/2003)
The Center for National Security Studies has asked the Supreme Court to decide whether the government rightfully kept secret the names of individuals arrested after September 11.

A Larger Sunset Proposed for Patriot Act (10/20/2003)
Several Senators troubled with the shroud of secrecy the government has put around its use of expanded surveillance powers granted under the US Patriot Act have proposed expanding the number of Patriot Act provisions that will automatically expire.

Ideas Wanted for 10 Most Wanted Government Docs (10/20/2003)
We are looking for a few good documents--the Ten Most Wanted government documents for 2004, to be precise. And we're hoping you, as an expert in this area, can help.

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