| In This Issue |
Federal Budget
Earmark My Word: Boehner Promises House Action This Week
Trifecta Bill May Resurface in Senate This Month
Spending Transparency Bill Passes Senate, House Approval Imminent
Congress Squanders Year As Appropriations Remain Unfinished
Senate Finance Committee Looks at Executive Compensation Excesses
Earmark My Word: Boehner Promises House Action This Week
Trifecta Bill May Resurface in Senate This Month
Spending Transparency Bill Passes Senate, House Approval Imminent
Congress Squanders Year As Appropriations Remain Unfinished
Senate Finance Committee Looks at Executive Compensation Excesses
Information & Access
Five Years Since 9/11: More Secrecy, Less Security
Government Receives Poor Grades on Secrecy
DHS Fails to Protect Critical Infrastructure
States Group Resolved Against EPA's Plans to Cut Toxics Reporting
Getting Congress to Punch the Clock
Nonprofit Issues
IRS Drops Case Against NAACP
FEC Deadlocks on Grassroots Lobbying Broadcast Exemption
Nonprofits Mobilize to Fight Voter Suppression
Regulatory Matters
Criticism of Draft Risk Assessment Bulletin May Delay Implementation
Report Finds Dudley Unfit to Serve
Five Years Since 9/11: More Secrecy, Less Security (09/12/2006)
Monday marked the fifth anniversary of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, yet the government's efforts to secure the nation against another terrorist attack have been minimal, leaving the country's chemical plants, ports, and other installations dangerously unsecured while increasing secrecy and intrusion into civil liberties.
Government Receives Poor Grades on Secrecy (09/12/2006)
Government secrecy continues to expand across a broad array of agencies and actions, according to a new report from OpenTheGovernment.org. The Secrecy Report Card 2006 is the third of its kind produced annually, reviewing numerous indicators to identify trends in public access to information.
DHS Fails to Protect Critical Infrastructure (09/12/2006)
On Sept. 1, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) issued a final rule for procedures for handling information about critical infrastructure. The rule amends the interim rule issued in February 2004, for which OMB Watch submitted comments. Unfortunately, DHS ignored OMB Watch's suggested modifications, and the final rule opens the door to misuse by the private sector, allowing companies to restrict public access to information that is vital to protecting public health and safety.
States Group Resolved Against EPA's Plans to Cut Toxics Reporting (09/12/2006)
On Aug. 29 the Environmental Council of the States (ECOS) passed a resolution urging the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to withdraw its proposals to reduce reporting under the Toxic Release Inventory (TRI). The resolution, by a national association of state and territorial environmental agency leaders, underscores the fact that states are firmly opposed to the EPA's plans to cut the national pollution reporting program.
Getting Congress to Punch the Clock (09/12/2006)
Following Congress's failure to pass meaningful lobby reform, the Sunlight Network has launched a two-month grassroots campaign to increase transparency about the actions and activities of our elected representatives. The Punch Clock Campaign offers rewards to the public for persuading lawmakers to post their daily schedules on the internet.
Earmark My Word: Boehner Promises House Action This Week (09/12/2006)
Last Thursday, House Majority Leader John Boehner (R-OH) announced the House will take up legislation as soon as this week to overhaul the process allowing individual lawmakers to slip funding for special projects into large appropriations bills.
Trifecta Bill May Resurface in Senate This Month (09/12/2006)
The fate of the "trifecta" bill and middle-class tax cuts remains uncertain, as GOP leaders send mixed signals about their intentions and the GOP ranks appear restless.
Spending Transparency Bill Passes Senate, House Approval Imminent (09/12/2006)
After a month of secret holds, back-room maneuvering, stall tactics and butting of heads, the Senate quietly passed the Federal Funding Accountability and Transparency Act (S. 2590) on Thursday, Sept. 7 by unanimous consent. The bill will dramatically increase government accountability and public access to federal spending data, by creating a free, public, searchable website of all federal spending, including government contracts and grants. The House is expected to amend the bill slightly before passing it this week.
Congress Squanders Year As Appropriations Remain Unfinished (09/12/2006)
With the beginning of the new fiscal year less than three weeks away, not one of this year's appropriations bills has been signed into law. The Senate shoulders most of the blame for the standstill, having now passed just two of its 12 appropriations bills. Because there is so little time left, Congress will have to finish up its appropriations work in a lame-duck session after the November election.
Senate Finance Committee Looks at Executive Compensation Excesses (09/12/2006)
A Sept. 8 Senate Finance Committee hearing demonstrated that a 1993 tax code reform has failed to curb the growth of extravagant CEO compensation packages. In fact, the reform created loopholes that have opened the door for outrageous salaries and bonuses, and unscrupulous behavior by company executives and boards of directors.
Criticism of Draft Risk Assessment Bulletin May Delay Implementation (09/12/2006)
InsideEPA, a Washington trade publication, reports that criticism from federal agency officials could prevent the Office of Management and Budget from finalizing a bulletin on risk assessments.
On Jan. 9, 2006, the OMB released a draft bulletin governing how agencies perform risk assessments. If enacted, the new standards would create a one-size-fits-all standard, requiring more information and analysis before agencies could act to protect the public.
Report Finds Dudley Unfit to Serve (09/12/2006)
Public Citizen and OMB Watch released a report today on Susan Dudley, the nominee to become the new regulatory czar within the Bush administration, concluding that she is unfit for Senate confirmation.
IRS Drops Case Against NAACP (09/12/2006)
On Aug. 31 the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) announced that, after an investigation lasting nearly two years, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) found the group did not violate the ban on partisan electioneering in 2004. The group will thus retain its tax-exempt status. The case raised questions about the right of charities and religious organizations to criticize elected officials' policies, the role of partisan politics in IRS investigations, and the legality of the new IRS enforcement program. The results of this case should reassure nonprofits of their right to speak out on the issues of the day.
FEC Deadlocks on Grassroots Lobbying Broadcast Exemption (09/12/2006)
On Aug. 29 the Federal Election Commission (FEC) voted down a proposed interim rule that would have exempted grassroots lobbying broadcasts from a federal rule banning ads that mention an incumbent before an election. The vote on the grassroots exemption failed on a 3-3 party-line vote, with Democrats rejecting all proposals. (A majority of the six FEC commissioners, of which three are appointed by each major political party, must approve any action undertaken by the commission.) So the 60-day blackout period applies to this election season, and nonprofit groups cannot lobby members of Congress up for reelection through broadcast ads.
Nonprofits Mobilize to Fight Voter Suppression (09/12/2006)
A growing body of state laws and regulations governing voter registration and the voting process create barriers to voting that discriminate against minorities, new citizens and the elderly. Nonprofits are challenging these new voter suppression tactics, including filing several lawsuits. These voter drives build off efforts that support election reform programs mandated by the Help America Vote Act of 2002, and these developments illustrate just how important nonprofit organizations are as vehicles of civic participation.