Civil rights groups are urging the Senate to reject a controversial amendment to the FY 2010 Commerce, Justice, and Science (CJS) Appropriations bill (H.R. 2847) currently working its way through Congress. Sens. David Vitter (R-LA) and Robert Bennett (R-UT) have proposed the amendment, which is designed to cut off funding to the Census Bureau unless the 2010 Census survey includes a question regarding citizenship and immigration status. The amendment flap has delayed passage of the CJS legislation, which would, in part, increase funding and restore speech rights to Legal Services Corporation (LSC) grantees.

The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) released a memo to federal agencies on Oct. 7 that outlines a new initiative to bring a renewed emphasis and additional resources for program evaluation within agencies. Although this initiative is not a comprehensive plan to reinvigorate performance measurement in the federal government, it will help correct many problems that kept previous performance systems from creating real improvement in government performance.

The Obama administration rolled out a revamped Public-Private Investment Program (PPIP) the week of Oct. 5. The program is designed to accomplish the original goals of the Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP). According to observers, the program still contains too little disclosure of conflicts of interest among those charged with implementing it.

A three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit issued an opinion in EMILY’s List v. Federal Election Commission in September, striking down regulations that limited donations to nonprofit political action committees that are used for campaign activity. The regulations were intended to limit how certain nonprofit organizations raise and spend money for political campaigns.