The Federal Election Commission (FEC) held a two-day public hearing in late June to consider comments on its proposed regulation of Internet communications about federal elections. The testimony focused on the role of bloggers and whether they should be required to post disclaimers notifying readers if they receive funds from a candidate or campaign. OMB Watch's testimony focused on the Internet's importance to civic participation and government accountability and urged a minimal approach to regulation. No date for publication of the final rule has been set.

On May 9, the Rev. Lisa Doege, of the First Unitarian Church of South Bend, IN, received a phone call from an Indiana State Representative, who warned her that a church program she had planned might threaten her church's tax-exempt status. Representative Luke Messner (R- Shelbyville) warned Doege against an upcoming program on Social Security, raising once more the issue of the role religious institutions have to play in the public sphere and in issue advocacy.

After seven months of silence, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) confirmed the second U.S. case of mad cow disease on June 24, highlighting the need for more stringent regulatory protections of the nation's beef supply. Seven months before the USDA announcement, government scientists ran a test that indicated that a U.S. cow was infected with mad cow disease. The result of this test was never publicly disclosed. According to the New York Times,

After almost four years of silence, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released updated information on Risk Management Plans (RMPs) filed by facilities with large quantities of hazardous chemicals onsite, in order to inform communities about the risks. The agency released the information to OMB Watch after the organization sued EPA for failing to respond to its request filed under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA). OMB Watch has posted the executive summaries of the RMPs on its Right to Know Network website.