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The Sunlight Foundation was founded in 2006 with the goal of using technology to enable citizens to learn more about what their elected representatives are doing, to help reduce corruption, ensure greater transparency and... [more]
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Ethics
Study Finds Government Ethics Lapses
Written by Paul Blumenthal on January 30, 2008 - 10:55am.
Read more: Ethics (see all terms)
Read more: Ethics (see all terms)
Source Name
Washington Post
Snippit
A new study, released yesterday by the nonprofit Ethics Resource Center, found that nearly 60 percent of government employees at all levels -- federal, state and local -- had witnessed violations of ethical standards, policy or laws in their workplaces within the last year.
GOP turns ethics tables
Written by Paul Blumenthal on November 2, 2007 - 10:52am.
Read more: Ethics | Lobbying/Ethics Reform | Point of order | S.1 (see all terms)
Read more: Ethics | Lobbying/Ethics Reform | Point of order | S.1 (see all terms)
Source Name
The Hill
Snippit
Senate Republicans said Thursday they would invoke new ethics rules to block Democratic efforts to send to President Bush the first appropriations package of the 110th Congress.
Lobbying on the Side
Written by Paul Blumenthal on September 12, 2007 - 10:23am.
Read more: Emanuel Cleaver | Ethics | Lobbying/Lobbyists (see all terms)
Read more: Emanuel Cleaver | Ethics | Lobbying/Lobbyists (see all terms)
Source Name
Roll Call
Snippit
A top staff member in the office of Rep. Emanuel Cleaver (D-Mo.) also maintains a state-level lobbying practice in Missouri, an arrangement that legal experts say raises ethical concerns but that the Congressman’s office defends as completely legal and in compliance with all House rules.
Ethics v. Prudery
Over the past week or two I’ve learned two things: do not tap your foot in the bathroom and that prudery is more prevalent on Capitol Hill than a true ethical fiber. Apparently it is more worrying that a Senator may be a deeply closeted gay man than it is that another Senator is deeply tied into a massive FBI-led corruption investigation or that a senior congressman is being investigated for perhaps the shadiest earmark ever. I read this article by Norm Ornstein today and couldn’t agree more with what he has to say. With so many corruption scandals, not just tawdry sex scandals, “Who believes that the ethics committee will act proactively to investigate allegedly scandalous behavior before stories garner headlines or result in announcements by prosecutors that Senators are targets or subjects of investigations?”
Written by Paul Blumenthal on September 5, 2007 - 12:39pm.
Read more: Ethics | House Ethics Committee | Larry Craig | Members Under Investigation | Senate Ethics Committee (see all terms)
Draining the 'Swamp' Is Not So Easy
Written by Paul Blumenthal on August 7, 2007 - 9:58am.
Read more: Ethics | House Ethics Committee | Lobbying/Ethics Reform | S.1 (see all terms)
Read more: Ethics | House Ethics Committee | Lobbying/Ethics Reform | S.1 (see all terms)
Source Name
Washington Post
Snippit
After eight months of behind-the-scenes kicking and screaming, the House and Senate passed ethics rules that promise to change how lawmakers raise money, travel and party. That is, if Congress devises a way to enforce them.
House Moves to Limit Family Business
The Washington Post reports on a bipartisan effort in the House to ban a practice that Sunlight and citizen journalists investigated in 2006: How many members of Congress were using campaign contributions to pay their spouses, in essence putting special interest money into the family budget?
In the latest ripple of an ethics spat gripping Congress, the House yesterday passed a bipartisan bill that bans lawmakers from paying their spouses for campaign work.
The measure, passed on a voice vote, was sponsored by Reps. Adam B. Schiff (D-Calif.) and Michael N. Castle (R-Del.). It would not bar other family members from working on a lawmaker's campaign but would require disclosure.
Currently, spouses can work for campaigns provided that they charge fair market value for their services. The measure still has to passed by the Senate.
Written by Bill Allison on July 24, 2007 - 8:34am.
Read more: Campaign Expenditures | Ethics | Family Business | Family Members of Members of Congress | Lobbying (see all terms)
Some members worry that ethics war may backfire for both parties
Written by Paul Blumenthal on June 7, 2007 - 11:13am.
Read more: Ethics (see all terms)
Read more: Ethics (see all terms)
Source Name
The Hill
Snippit
Several House members on both sides of the aisle are worried that their leaders’ increased use of the House floor as an ethics battleground will backfire as more lawmakers are expected to be indicted this Congress.
Democrats Living Up to Their Pledge
The Politico reports that even when it appears to be against their fundraising interests, the Democrats felt pressured last week to live up to their anti-corruption pledge that swept them into the office in the last election.
"The most important thing for our new members is to be able to go back to their constituents and say they were part of changing the direction in Washington, and that includes holding Congress accountable and holding members accountable," Rep. Van Hollen, DCCC chairman said.
Jeanne Cummings concludes her column by saying:
Written by Ellen Miller on May 31, 2007 - 4:45pm.
Read more: Ethics | Sunlight Foundation | Van Hollen (see all terms)
GOP Learns Lesson on Ethics
Written by Paul Blumenthal on April 23, 2007 - 11:14am.
Read more: Ethics | John Doolittle | Rick Renzi (see all terms)
Read more: Ethics | John Doolittle | Rick Renzi (see all terms)
Source Name
Roll Call
Snippit
Burned by a series of scandals in the 109th Congress that played a deciding role in costing House Republicans the majority, GOP leaders and the rank and file are taking a tougher stance toward colleagues with alleged legal woes this time around.
GOP ethics woes plague Boehner
Written by Paul Blumenthal on February 15, 2007 - 12:37pm.
Read more: Ethics | Republicans (see all terms)
Read more: Ethics | Republicans (see all terms)
Source Name
The Hill
Snippit
House Republicans are engaged in a two-front war. One is the public relations battle over how to proceed in Iraq. But even closer to home, they are facing new challenges on ethics—the other major issue that plagued them during the 2006 campaign and lead to the loss of their majority.
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Congressional Web Site Investigation:Employing citizen oversight to find out if we are getting our money’s worth from congressional Web sites.
Today's Ethics Watch
Seats of Power: A Return to Skybox Lobbying?: Not long ago, lobbyists regularly entertained lawmakers and their aides in skyboxes at local sports arenas. But after a series of scandals on Capitol Hill, the law was changed to forbid congressional officials from accepting anything of value from lobbyists without repayment -- let alone the best seats in the house. (Washington Post)
Companies Start to Lift Veil on Political Spending: Ever wonder how much companies really spend to influence government through trade associations? Well, a few corporations are coming clean, or at least cleaner. (Washington Post)
Dems, GOP together nix Murtha earmark: Democrats and Republicans joined together to strip a pet project of Rep. John Murtha’s (D-Pa.) from the 2009 intelligence authorization bill — the same project Democrats defended last year. (The Hill)
NAPA launches collaboration Web site: If you’ve ever wished your federal agency could adopt wikis, use YouTube or delve into the virtual world but feared the security, technology and political barriers were too high to overcome, take heart. You’ve got supporters, and they have success stories. (NextGov)
Jefferson lawyers cite race case in change of venue request: Rep. William Jefferson’s (D-La.) lawyers have asked a federal judge to reconsider a ruling denying a change of venue for his corruption trial. (The Hill)
Jefferson Tries New Argument: Rep. William Jefferson (D-La.) has asked a federal court to use an international criminal law treaty to force the depositions of three people in Nigeria who have been implicated in corruption charges levied against him. (Roll Call)
Foreign Gifts Test Rules: Even as new ethics restrictions have made it difficult for Members and staff to accept gifts — aside from token baseball caps or T-shirts — one area remains where lawmakers and their staffs can collect trinkets more or less guilt-free: foreign travel. (Roll Call)
K St.’s ‘Max Out’ Crowd: The 20 top K Street donors this election cycle have handed federal candidates nearly $1.8 million in personal cash. The majority of that money, $1.3 million, has gone to help Democrats as the party in charge of Capitol Hill looks to expand its majority. (Roll Call)
Senator’s Ties to Real Estate Draw Criticism: He has made millions as a title insurance executive, landlord and real estate developer in this college town, where the economy, despite trouble nationwide, is still growing nicely. Now, as a United States senator, with the mortgage mess fueling a national economic slowdown, Richard C. Shelby has more say over the revamping of housing finance laws than almost anyone else in Congress. (New York Times)
Oil Lobby Reaches Out to Citizens Peeved at the Pump: Faced with a national outcry over the high price of gasoline and soaring profits for energy companies, the oil and gas industry is waging an unusually pricey campaign to burnish its image. (Washington Post)
Lawmakers Accused of Flouting Rules on Use of Staff: Democratic Reps. Jane Harman and Neil Abercrombie spent more than $2 million on their 2006 reelection campaigns but paid only $5,000 to campaign workers, according to campaign finance reports. (Washington Post)
[ More in the Archive ]
Companies Start to Lift Veil on Political Spending: Ever wonder how much companies really spend to influence government through trade associations? Well, a few corporations are coming clean, or at least cleaner. (Washington Post)
Dems, GOP together nix Murtha earmark: Democrats and Republicans joined together to strip a pet project of Rep. John Murtha’s (D-Pa.) from the 2009 intelligence authorization bill — the same project Democrats defended last year. (The Hill)
NAPA launches collaboration Web site: If you’ve ever wished your federal agency could adopt wikis, use YouTube or delve into the virtual world but feared the security, technology and political barriers were too high to overcome, take heart. You’ve got supporters, and they have success stories. (NextGov)
Jefferson lawyers cite race case in change of venue request: Rep. William Jefferson’s (D-La.) lawyers have asked a federal judge to reconsider a ruling denying a change of venue for his corruption trial. (The Hill)
Jefferson Tries New Argument: Rep. William Jefferson (D-La.) has asked a federal court to use an international criminal law treaty to force the depositions of three people in Nigeria who have been implicated in corruption charges levied against him. (Roll Call)
Foreign Gifts Test Rules: Even as new ethics restrictions have made it difficult for Members and staff to accept gifts — aside from token baseball caps or T-shirts — one area remains where lawmakers and their staffs can collect trinkets more or less guilt-free: foreign travel. (Roll Call)
K St.’s ‘Max Out’ Crowd: The 20 top K Street donors this election cycle have handed federal candidates nearly $1.8 million in personal cash. The majority of that money, $1.3 million, has gone to help Democrats as the party in charge of Capitol Hill looks to expand its majority. (Roll Call)
Senator’s Ties to Real Estate Draw Criticism: He has made millions as a title insurance executive, landlord and real estate developer in this college town, where the economy, despite trouble nationwide, is still growing nicely. Now, as a United States senator, with the mortgage mess fueling a national economic slowdown, Richard C. Shelby has more say over the revamping of housing finance laws than almost anyone else in Congress. (New York Times)
Oil Lobby Reaches Out to Citizens Peeved at the Pump: Faced with a national outcry over the high price of gasoline and soaring profits for energy companies, the oil and gas industry is waging an unusually pricey campaign to burnish its image. (Washington Post)
Lawmakers Accused of Flouting Rules on Use of Staff: Democratic Reps. Jane Harman and Neil Abercrombie spent more than $2 million on their 2006 reelection campaigns but paid only $5,000 to campaign workers, according to campaign finance reports. (Washington Post)
[ More in the Archive ]