Government Matters Articles

Economy and Jobs Watch: Continuing Bad News for Americans

Last month's economic news has been far from encouraging for most Americans, with a continuation of an uneven and unpredictable job market, rising consumer prices, and declining earnings. Yet, despite the grim realities faced by most working families in the U.S. the recovery period has been very good to business, with corporate profits up over 15 percent since it began. A survey of indicators shows the Bush administration's economic policies, specifically how they value profits for corporations over the bottom line for average Americans, have further eroded the country's economic health.

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Industry Misuses Data Quality Act to Challenge EPA Choices

Two industry groups recently filed challenges, under the Data Quality Act, against the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) methodological choices. Both challenges focus on evaluations of human health risks from specific chemicals. The petitions specifically question documents that address emissions of Metam Sodium, a pesticide, and Dioxin/Furan, used to produce cement. The petitions challenge EPA procedures, however, which are policy decisions made within the agency -- and not data -- and as such lie outside the scope of the Data Quality Act (DQA).

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Minnesota Considers 'Biomonitoring' to Protect Public Health

Minnesota lawmakers are considering biomonitoring legislation that would test Minnesota citizens to determine their exposure levels to a variety of toxic chemicals. The proposed law seeks to better gauge health risks currently posed by such chemicals, as the first step toward controlling and reducing those risks.

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Open-Government Activist Seeks to Recover Legal Fees from FOIA battle

After winning a four-year legal battle for access to county documents concerning the Seahawks Stadium, a Seattle resident has returned to court seeking greater financial compensation for his efforts. King County Superior Court Judge Michael Hayden heard arguments on August 19, during which Armen Yousoufian sought an award of more than $1 million in compensation for his legal fees and as a deterrent to prevent other agencies from stonewalling citizen requests of public information.

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Action Expected on Charitable Giving Legislation in September

The Senate Finance Committee intends to introduce a package of nonprofit accountability reforms and charitable giving tax incentives soon, according to sources on the Hill.

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Federal Election Commission Seeks Comments on Rule that Could Gag Charities around Elections

The Federal Elections Commission (FEC) is considering changes that could affect the advocacy voice of charities across the country. Currently charities are strictly prohibited from electioneering, and are thus not covered by campaign finance law. However, the FEC is reviewing current rules regarding communications made 30 days prior to primary elections and 60 days before general elections, and weighing whether charities should be limited in mentioning a candidate for federal office during those periods.

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Town Seeks to Keep Secret Maps, Images

Officials in the town of Greenwich, Connecticut are compiling a list of vulnerable public buildings and utilities and plan to withhold aerial images and maps of these sites from the public, despite having been ordered by the Connecticut Supreme Court to disclose them. Mapping information has been a continual target for proponents of increased government secrecy, even though little evidence supports their claims that such information is too dangerous to remain public.

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Legislative Update: Federalism Bills

Legislative developments brewing in the 109th Congress could alter the relationships between the federal and state governments, thus potentially distorting important regulatory protections. Unfunded Mandates Reform Act Revisions

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Congressional Budget Office Projections: No Change in Bleak Long-Term Fiscal Outlook

Just over a month after the White House released its misleading and overly optimistic budget projections, the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) released an update to their Budget and Economic Outlook last week. The CBO report is far more realistic in its long-term assumptions and therefore shows little change in our country's dismal long-term fiscal outlook.

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Attorney General Considers Writing New FOIA Memo

Attorney General Alberto Gonzales recently announced he would reconsider the government's position on the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), previously established in a controversial 2001 memo by then Attorney General John Ashcroft. The Ashcroft memo, which has been criticized by open government advocates, directed federal agency officials to presumptively withhold information requested under FOIA if they were uncertain whether the information should be released.

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