Sunlight Foundation Press Center

How much is that congressman worth?

Wed May 14 12:47:59

The Sunlight Foundation is making it a little easier to find out. The open government advocacy group has launched a new web site Fortune 535 to let constituents see “how much - or how little -” lawmakers’ wealth has grown in the last 11 years - the period of time from which lawmakers’ personal financial data is available

K Street in Brief

Wed May 14 12:10:24

The Sunlight Foundation , a group dedicated to pulling back the curtain on how government operates, launched a new website that lets voters sneak a peek at how well members of Congress have done for themselves in the past 11 years.

That’s how long personal financial data has been available. Sunlight is putting it online on its new site, Fortune 535 .

The site also lets viewers compare the net worth of each lawmaker to that of the average American family and will list the wealthiest lawmakers.

Ellen Miller, executive director of Sunlight, said the information may surprise some people.

“Even though popular stereotypes tell us that lawmakers are all millionaires and get more wealthy the longer they serve in Congress, we found that every lawmaker profile is different,” Miller said in a release.

Clinton tops Senate in wealth increase

Wed May 14 11:45:14

WASHINGTON - Propelled by her husband’s post-White House earnings, Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton’s net worth soared from red ink to $30.7 million between 2000 and 2006, the fastest financial climb among members of Congress who arrived without assets, a watchdog group said Tuesday

Clinton wealth growing fastest

Wed May 14 11:35:10

WASHINGTON - Propelled by her husband’s post-White House earnings, Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton’s average net worth soared from red ink to $30.7 million between 2000 and 2006, the fastest financial climb among members of Congress who arrived without assets, a watchdog group reported Tuesday.

Report analyzes lawmakers' net worth

Wed May 14 10:53:59

WASHINGTON | It almost looks like life on a game show: Some congressional members make millions, while others leave with little more than the experience.

Craig (of the List) Looks Beyond the Web

Mon May 12 10:02:20

Imagine what it might have been like to be Dr. Kleenex. You invent a modern miracle, the cheap paper handkerchief, and suddenly you become the person blamed for America’s disposable culture, praised for a more convenient life, or both.

Web 2.0- Sunlight Foundation

Mon May 5 10:30:57

Sunlight labs’ Jeremy Carbaugh spoke with San Francisco’s local KRON4 TV about Sunlight’s online efforts to make Congress more transparency during the Web 2.0 conference last month.

Unique to ‘08: Superdelegates, Internet

Mon May 5 9:58:55

AUSTIN - Presidential superdelegates have gone unnoticed by the general public for decades, mostly a blip on the screen of Democratic nominations that are decided long before the 795 party stalwarts enter the picture to cast their largely ceremonial votes.

Shining a Light on Politics: An Interview with Ellen Miller of The Sunlight Foundation

Fri May 2 10:22:26

You vote, right? But do you use Congresspedia, Wiki The Vote, the SuperDelegate Transparency Project, OpenSecrets.org, FedSpending.org, or PublicMarkup.org to be an informed voter? They are all projects whose creation was facilitated by the Sunlight Foundation to educate citizens and increase transparency in politics.

Transparency bill worked on in the open

Fri May 2 10:10:22

Public interest groups far and wide want to pull back the curtain on the federal government. To make a point, they are drafting a transparency proposal online and allowing anyone with a computer to take part in the legislative process.