Florida mayor wants reporters to register as lobbyists

A Florida mayor told the Sun Sentinel of Fort Lauderdale that under his interpretation of a new law, their reporters must register as lobbyists before he will talk with them. The Lauderhill mayor said since reporters supply information to editors who then may write editorials that try to influence decisions in city government, the reporters [...]

Opinion: Obama promise of transparency bogs down in oil sands dealings

An opponent of the Keystone pipeline proposed to carry oil from the tar sands area of Canada to the United States says that the Obama administration has been conducting  secret meetings with the oil industry, this confirmed by documents obtained through a Freedom of Information Act request. “…Barack Obama said he would ‘end the tyranny [...]

Giant banks tap former government officials to carry fight over Wall Street reform

A coalition favoring greater accountability in government revealed in a new report that the giant banks hired over 240 former government officials to lobby against Wall Street reform. -db Politico May 11, 2010 By Chris Frates The nation’s six largest banks and their trade associations have hired more than 240 former government officials-turned-lobbyists to represent [...]

Public sides with Obama on tiff with Supreme Court over corporation money in elections

With the polls showing that 80 percent of the public is against unleashing special interest money in elections, analysts suggest that the president and others may have some leeway in stemming the effect of the Supreme Court’s  recent decision allowing unrestricted spending for and against political candidates. -db The Atlanta Journal-Constitution March 15, 2010 By [...]

Transparency: S.F. mayor wants texting banned during city meetings

San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom wants a ban on text messaging during meetings of the Board of Supervisors and city commissions to limit the influence of  lobbyists texting city officials and to keep the city government more transparent. -db San Francisco Chronicle March 10, 2010 By Heather Knight San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom wants to [...]

Federal appeals court orders disclosure of names of telecom lobbyists

The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that the government must reveal name of lobbyists who working for retroactive liability protection for telecom companies who participated in warrantless surveillance of U.S. citizens after 9/11. -db Metropolitan News-Enterprise February 10, 2010 By Sherri M. Okamoto The Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals yesterday ruled that the [...]

Obama favors disclosing contacts between lobbyists with administration or Congress

The Electronic Frontier Foundation hails President Barack Obama’s statement in the State of the Union address about disclosing lobbyist contacts. The Obama administration has been fighting FOIA requests seeking identities of lobbyists working the Department of Justice and Director of National Intelligence. -db Electronic Frontier Foundation Commentary January 28, 2010 By Kurt Opsahl In yesterday’s State [...]

President warns about effects of Supreme Court decision on elections

President Barack Obama said with unlimited money from special interests now legal, it gives them the power to spend millions on getting rid of legislators who don’t vote their way. -DB Sunlight Foundation January 24, 2010 By Daniel Schuman President Obama’s weekly address explained on his administration’s efforts to combat influence peddling, and the steps [...]

Lobbyists not registering to avoid stricter rules

In a reaction to strict new Congressional regulations, in increasing numbers, advocates are not registering as lobbyists making it harder to track the effect of campaign contributions and meetings with public officials. -DB The New York Times January 18, 2010 By David D. Kirkpatrick WASHINGTON, D.C. — Ellen Miller, co-founder of the Sunlight Foundation, has spent [...]

Associated Press uncovers failure of California lawmakers to report gifts

The Associated Press used the California Public Records Act to obtain documents that show that California legislators have received gifts that they failed to report, some from lobbyists and industries with much to gain from close ties to lawmakers. -DB The San Francisco Chronicle January 15, 2010 By Judy Lin SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — A California [...]

Oregon high court says yes to free speech rights for lobbyists’ gifts but no to rights of legislators to accept

The Oregon Supreme Court upheld a law preventing public officials and candidates from accepting gifts worth more than $50, affirming the free speech rights of lobbyists to offer a gift of any amount but holding that there  was no corresponding free speech rights for those officials and candidates in accepting gifts. -DB The Oregonian December [...]

White House releases logs showing visits by medical industry executives

Under pressure, the Obama administration released logs of White House visits of medical industry executives just after the inauguration, fueling speculation that the industry gained concessions in the private meetings. -DB First Amendment Center July 23, 2009 By The Associated Press WASHINGTON, D.C. — Administration officials began talking privately to major players in the health care [...]