Blog Posts and Analysis / Open, Accountable Government

Senate Bill Grants Immunity to Telecom Companies, House Bill Stalled

The Senate Intelligence Committee recently passed a bill that would grant retroactive immunity to telecommunications companies involved in the National Security Agency's (NSA) warrantless wiretapping program. The same week, the House pulled a bill that would increase judicial oversight and accountability over the administration's surveillance efforts.

read in full

House Moves to Reform Expansive Surveillance Authority

On Oct. 9, the House introduced two bills to reform the Protect America Act (PAA), passed in haste before Congress' August recess. PAA grants the government the authority to wiretap anyone, including U.S. citizens, without court approval as long as the "target" of the surveillance is reasonably believed to be located outside the country.

read in full

Secrecy Surrounds Interrogation Practices

After Alberto Gonzales took over as Attorney General at the Justice Department in February 2005, the Department issued secret memoranda justifying extreme interrogation techniques, reported the New York Times in early October. The importance of such secret opinions and the lack of independent oversight was magnified on Oct. 9 when the U.S. Supreme Court refused to review a case involving the alleged secret rendition and torture of a German citizen.

read in full

What You Don't Know Might Be More than You Think

Often, the first step in addressing any environmental or health issue is making sure the public is properly notified and informed. Several recent examples illustrate governmental failures, which too often occur, to perform even this basic informational task.

read in full

EPA Cut Corners in TRI Rule

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) came under tough scrutiny at an Oct. 4 hearing of the House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Environment and Hazardous Materials for reducing the reporting standards of the Toxics Release Inventory (TRI) in December 2006.

read in full

Secrecy on the Rise, Reports OpenTheGovernment.org

OpenTheGovernment.org released a report in September detailing an increase in government secrecy in the realms of national security, government contracting, and state governments, among other areas. The Secrecy Report Card 2007 is the latest report in an annual series by the coalition that analyzes objective measurements of secrecy in government.

read in full

Wiretapping Law the Focus of House Hearings

The House Committee on the Judiciary and the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence held several hearings the week of Sept. 17 on the implications of the Protect America Act (PAA) and its revisions to the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA). Director of National Intelligence (DNI) Mike McConnell argued that the changes need to be made permanent, while others argued that PAA unnecessarily violates civil liberties.

read in full

Pages

  • ©2015 Center for Effective Government
  • All Rights Reserved.
  • This an archive site of the materials produced by the Center for Effective Government (formerly OMB Watch) and is maintained by the Project On Government Oversight.