Government Matters Articles

GAO Finds Bush's Social Security Campaign Not Illegal Lobbying

On April 27, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) sent a letter to eight Democratic senators finding that the Bush administration's program to promote its Social Security plan to the public does not constitute illegal use of government funds for grassroots lobbying. The senators had asked for an assessment of whether the overall context and message of the administration's Social Security campaign amounted to a clear appeal to the public to contact members of Congress. The GAO disagreed, saying that no violation occurs unless there is an express request to the public to contact Congress.

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IRS Describes Increased Enforcement of Nonprofit Sector

Mark Everson, commissioner of the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), told attorneys at the Georgetown Law Center's Tax-Exempt Seminar that the sector must act to head off a "gathering storm" resulting from use of the sector as a vehicle for tax avoidance. Other IRS officials at the April 28 training described new and increased enforcement activities.

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Senate Committee Passes Amended 527 Bill

An attempt by Sens. John McCain (R-AZ) and Russell Feingold (D-WI) to extend federal campaign finance regulation to independent political groups has backfired in the Senate Rules Committee, which amended the 527 Reform Act of 2005 (S. 271), to repeal portions of the Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act of 2002 (BCRA). The vastly altered version of S. 271 passed by the committee on April 27 is a crazy quilt of amendments that restricts independent groups while lifting limits on business groups and PACs run by members of Congress.

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Journalists Teach Communities to Access Government Information

On the heels of Sunshine Week, during which journalists highlighted the importance of open government, several newspapers have taken an extra step and begun training local communities to use freedom of information laws. Though freedom of information laws grant the general public rights to access government information, many citizens do not know how to use them and often journalists act as intermediaries between the public and the government. However, journalists can never fully represent a community's range of concerns, so it is important to inform and empower the public.

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Kentucky Attorney General Caps Copying Fees

Kentucky Attorney General Greg Stumbo (D) recently limited the amount the state agencies could charge citizens for copies of government documents. The prices the government charges for searches and copies are often cited by groups as a major obstacle to obtaining more information through the Freedom of Information laws. In an April 25 opinion, Stumbo capped fees on copies of public records at 10 cents per page. The opinion came after Beaver Dam resident Mike Nance contacted the attorney general's office complaining about the 50 cents per page the Hartford, KY, county government charged him.

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Ohio Bill To Privatize Government Information, Services

An Ohio state legislator last month reintroduced legislation to force taxpayers to pay companies for services and information that taxpayers already receive more efficiently and cheaply directly through the government. An anti-government conservative group, the American Legislative Exchange Council, originally drafted the legislation and saw it introduced in at least five states in 2003. It previously failed in Ohio.

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Defense Department Seeks New FOIA Exemption

The Department of Defense (DoD) is seeking a broad Freedom of Information (FOIA) exemption, which would remove critical information from public purview -- everything from information on human rights abuses, to historical military records. The agency sought such an exemption in 2000, but Congress rejected the measure.

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National Security Whistleblowers Urge Better Protections

The National Security Whistleblowers Coalition met with key congressional committee staff April 28, stressing the important role of whistleblowers that disclose security problems, and detailing the retaliation these individuals then encounter. On the same day, Rep. Edward J. Markey (D-MA) announced his intention to introduce legislation in the House to strengthen whistleblower protections.

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Chemical Security Remains an Unaddressed Problem

An April 27 panel of government officials and security experts told the Senate Subcommittee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs that chemical security remains a looming problem that the federal government refuses to address. The same day the House Committee on Homeland Security proved that point by rejecting an amendment to improve security related to shipments of dangerous chemicals. Also the same day, President Bush called for development of new oil refineries on old military bases but did not address the existing gaps in chemical security.

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Economy and Jobs Watch: Economic Recovery Still Shortchanging Workers

The gross domestic product (GDP) of the United States grew at a slower pace than expected during the first quarter of 2005 according to data released by the Commerce Department. At just 3.1 percent, it was the slowest rate of growth in over two years since the first quarter of 2003.

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