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Put Agency Meetings With Lobbyists Online |
"When there are meetings between lobbyists and a government agency, we won't be going to the Supreme Court to keep it secret like Dick Cheney and his energy task force. We'll be putting them up on the Internet for every American to watch. And instead of allowing lobbyists to slip big corporate tax breaks into bills during the dead of night, we will make sure every single tax break and earmark is available to every American online."
-- Manchester, N.H.
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JULY 24, 2009
Disclosure Must Begin After Grant Application
Restrictions on discussions between officials and lobbyists regarding Recovery Act money now only apply after an application for a grant has been submitted, Office of Management and Budget Director Peter Orszag announced in a memo. Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, a watchdog group, lauded the move, saying the clarification allows officials to get information without being lobbied inappropriately. |
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MAY 29, 2009
Internet Disclosure Now Applies To All Discussion
Government officials must now disclose all oral discussion of Recovery Act money, not just conversations with registered lobbyists, following a review by the Office of Management and Budget. A memo from special counsel Norm Eisen specifies that the new rules require all discussions to be posted on the Internet, not only communications with registered and unregistered lobbyists but with "anyone else exerting influence on the process." |
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APRIL 22, 2009
More Agencies Post Online
The number of agencies currently reporting lobbying conversations related to the stimulus has climbed to 11 out of 28. |
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APRIL 15, 2009
Agencies Slow To Post Lobbying Information
Only 8 out of 28 government agencies have so far posted their stimulus-related communications with lobbyists online, according to the nonprofit Sunlight Foundation. |
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MARCH 20, 2009
Lobbyists Must Request Stimulus Funds Publicly
Obama issued guidelines for how the stimulus money should be spent, requiring all lobbyist requests on specific projects to be put in writing and "posted publicly by the receiving agency or governmental entity on its recovery website within 3 business days." Government officials are allowed to talk with registered lobbyists about "general Recovery Act policy issues," but this too must be written up and posted on the Web. |
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JANUARY 22, 2009
Ethics Agenda Section Disappears
The page on WhiteHouse.gov detailing Obama's ethics pledges, including this one, was replaced with a message telling readers to "please check back soon" for updates related to the president's executive order placing limits on lobbyist activity. |
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JANUARY 19, 2009
'Your Seat At The Table'
The Obama-Biden transition team posted online the reports it received from various interest groups. |
