Blog Posts and Analysis / Open, Accountable Government

Legislation Criminalizes Disclosures of Classified Information

Sen. Jon Kyl (R-AZ) introduced an amendment Mar. 2 to prevent the unauthorized disclosure of classified information by congressional employees. The proposal is a scaled-back version of a previous ambitious attempt to criminalize all leaks of classified information, but the amendment still met with strong opposition from the public interest and open government community.

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Medical Marijuana Lawsuit Uses Data Quality Act

A new Data Quality Act (DQA) lawsuit was filed Feb. 22 in a federal court in California. The suit claims that the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) are disseminating false and misleading information regarding the health benefits of marijuana. The lawsuit is another test of the judicial reviewability of DQA, which enables groups and members of the public to challenge the data quality of federal government information.

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DHS Receives Mixed Opinions on Proposed Chemical Security Rule

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) received 89 comments, dominated by industry, in response to the proposed interim rule on chemical plant security. The rule establishes the first-ever federal chemical security program. Chemical companies and industry associations generally expressed strong support for the rule, whereas most public interest groups and government officials expressed great concern.

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FOIA Reform Kicks Off in the House

The House Subcommittee on Information, Census and National Archives of the Government Oversight and Reform Committee held a hearing on the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) Feb. 14. The hearing served as an update on the implementation of Executive Order 13392, which requires agencies to develop and implement FOIA improvement plans, and as an opportunity to air the virtues and vices of FOIA and possible legislative solutions to improve public access to information.

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Congress Takes a Hard Look at Irresponsible Contractors

On Feb. 15, Sen. Byron Dorgan (D-ND) introduced the Honest Leadership and Accountability in Contracting Act, which is aimed at curbing abuse in government procurement and increasing competition and transparency. Concerns about federal contracts have been rising over the last few years as inquiries into contracts for Iraq reconstruction and Hurricane Katrina response have uncovered serious deficiencies or more questions.

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Congress, White House Going in Opposite Directions on TRI

On Feb. 14, Sen. Frank R. Lautenberg (D-NJ) and Reps. Frank Pallone (D-NJ) and Hilda Solis (D-CA) announced companion bills to restore the Toxics Release Inventory (TRI) and undo the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) recently finalized reporting rollbacks. At the same time, President George W. Bush issued an executive order which may exempt all federal facilities from reporting requirements, resulting in another severe attack on the TRI program.

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TRI Changes are Major Issue at EPA Oversight Hearing

The Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) changes to the Toxics Release Inventory (TRI) were a prominent issue at the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee's (EPW) Feb. 6 EPA oversight hearing. The three-panel hearing also addressed the closure of EPA libraries, the elimination of perchlorate testing, and the agency's current consideration of revoking the air quality standard for lead.

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