Transparency

March 06, 2009 -- MONTGOMERY - Alabama Governor Bob Riley has formally asked the chairmen of two legislative committees to bring his anti-corruption proposal up for debate.

“Alabama needs to declare war on corruption. The proposal I’ve submitted is a sweeping anti-corruption bill that increases transparency and will change the political culture of our state forever,” said Governor Riley.

The Governor’s proposal has been assigned to the House Judiciary Committee chaired by Representative Marcel Black and the Senate Constitution, Campaign Finance, Ethics and Election Committee chaired by Senator Quinton Ross.    » read more »

February 26, 2009 -- WASHINGTON - U.S. Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Secretary Shaun Donovan released the following statement today in response to President Barack Obama's proposed FY 2010 budget announcement:

"Today, President Obama announced general budget direction for HUD and I am very pleased with the outcome and focus. The President has designed a fiscally responsible budget that stresses the need for transparency and accountability from all agencies. HUD will be a leader in providing accountability to American taxpayers as we move forward with the budget process.    » read more »

February 26, 2009 -- MONTGOMERY - During a news conference at the state capitol this morning, Alabama Governor Bob Riley outlined the details of a proposal he has submitted that is “a total and complete” overhaul of the state’s ethics code.

The Alabama Code of Public Ethics, which is sponsored by Senator Ben Brooks and Representative Mac Gipson, would bring greater transparency to dealings between lobbyists and public servants, prevent conflicts of interests, and empower the state’s Ethics Commission to enforce the law.

Governor Riley first announced the ethics reform proposal during his State of the State Address earlier this month.    » read more »

Directs agencies to make more information available to the public

CHICAGO – February 25, 2009. Illinois Governor Pat Quinn took action today to make state government more open, transparent and accountable to the people of Illinois. In a memorandum to directors and general counsels, Governor Quinn ordered state agencies to fully and quickly respond to Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests.

“The people of Illinois demand an open, honest and transparent government,” Governor Quinn said. “State government must take all steps necessary to make information as accessible as possible.”

Governor Quinn’s memorandum to agency directors includes three key initiatives:    » read more »

February 17, 2009 -- AUGUSTA – Maine Governor John E. Baldacci today signed an Executive Order to ensure accountability, transparency and Legislative oversight during the implementation of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009.

“With the federal stimulus package signed today by President Obama, we have an opportunity to create jobs, avoid layoffs, make much-needed improvements in our State’s infrastructure and invest in education,” Governor Baldacci said. “Now it is my responsibility to make sure we act transparently and quickly to get the new funding into the economy and get people back to work.”    » read more »

Governor taps experienced real estate professional to oversee investment of federal infrastructure funds, launches web site to promote transparency

BOSTON – Wednesday, February 11, 2009 – Anticipating the receipt of hundreds of millions of dollars in federal funds for statewide infrastructure projects, Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick announced today that he has selected senior real estate professional Jeffrey A. Simon to lead the Administration’s economic recovery infrastructure program. Governor Patrick has been preparing to maximize the Commonwealth’s ability to create new jobs and lay a foundation for long-term economic growth.    » read more »

February 11, 2009 -- BIRMINGHAM - Taxpayers will be able to see where every dime of state money goes under an executive order Alabama Governor Bob Riley signed today.

The directive orders the creation of a publicly accessible website that details all spending, grants and contracts done by state government. The public information will include the amount of funds being spent, the date of the expenditure, the agency spending the money and the funding source.

“Taxpayers will know where their money goes and to whom it goes," said Governor Riley.

Governor Riley signed the executive order during the annual meeting of the Public Affairs Research Council of Alabama (PARCA), where he delivered remarks on the need for ethics reform and more accountability in state government.    » read more »

February 4, 2009 -- AUGUSTA - Maine Governor John E. Baldacci today unveiled a new State Web page dedicated to the developing federal economic stimulus package, now called The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009.

The Web page provides information and resources so that Maine people can track the legislation’s progress in Congress and actions taken by State government related to the stimulus. Following passage and the President’s signature of the final bill, the Web page will also serve as a clearinghouse so that the public can access up-to-date information about where and how federal stimulus funds are dispersed.    » read more »

Statement of Angela Canterbury, Director of Advocacy, Public Citizen’s Congress Watch Division

Jan. 29, 2009 -- "We applaud the House of Representatives for answering the call on Wednesday for more meaningful transparency and accountability in the federal spending bill. House lawmakers passed a critical, bipartisan whistleblower protection amendment offered by Reps. Todd Platts (R-Pa.) and Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) that will strengthen and expand protections for federal workers and contractors who report waste, fraud and abuse. We strongly urge the Senate to include the same commonsense whistleblower protections in its stimulus spending legislation.    » read more »

WASHINGTON, Jan. 28, 2009 -- Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack today announced the delay of implementing the Sale and Disposal of Special Forest Products and Forest Botanical Products Final Rule until March 30, 2009. The delay will provide the public an additional 30-day comment period ending March 2.

"In keeping with President Obama's recent pledge for a more transparent and inclusive government that works for the people, this extension will afford the public an opportunity to participate in the rulemaking process," he said. "This rule is especially important to American Indians and Alaska Natives and we want to make sure that they, and other stakeholders, have an opportunity to have their voices heard."    » read more »

Statement of Joan Claybrook, President, Public Citizen

Jan. 22, 2009 -- "President Obama campaigned with the promise of change, a commitment to government openness and a pledge to uphold high ethical standards. On his first full day in office, the new president showed a willingness to turn rhetoric into action.    » read more »

June 13, 2008 -- John McCain says he wants to bring a new transparency standard to campaigns. Yet just yesterday, after billing a campaign event as a town hall for Republicans, Independents and Democrats, Fox News revealed that the audience had been filled with campaign supporters and invited guests, not the general public.

Looks like instead of offering change, all Senator McCain offers is a third Bush term of a president who only wants to hear from people who agree with him. Add to this the fact that John McCain has refused to release many of his tax records and has lobbyists running his campaign, and it's clear that Senator McCain's campaign is anything but transparent.

See the clip here:
http://youtube.com/watch?v=G9979CZ9vII    » read more »

06/09/2008 -- WASHINGTON, D.C. – Sens. John Kerry, Bob Menendez, Byron Dorgan, and Frank Lautenberg today introduced legislation that will prohibit the U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) from using appropriated funds for propaganda and will require the DoD Inspector General and the Government Accountability Office (GAO) to deliver reports to Congress within 90 days.    » read more »

June 5, 2008 -- John McCain says he is running the most transparent campaign in history. Yet just yesterday McCain and his campaign were caught misrepresenting his record on Hurricane Katrina, trying to cover it up, and then backtracking and shifting their answers on the issue.

This follows a pattern of deception we've seen with McCain: he insists on raising campaign money behind closed doors to hide the fact that lobbyists and the special interests are funding his campaign, he is not transparent about his tax returns and finances, and he is not transparent about the lobbyists running his campaign.    » read more »

Legislation would expand public information available on USASpending.gov

June 3, 2008 -- WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Senators Barack Obama (D-IL) and Tom Coburn (R-OK) today introduced the Strengthening Transparency and Accountability in Federal Spending Act of 2008 (S.3077), which would expand the information available on USASpending.gov, as well as make the data more accessible and readable.

USASpending.gov screenshot    » read more »