In a ruling that upholds the public’s right to access government information, a D.C. federal district court ordered the Department of Energy (DOE) on February 21 to hand over documents to the Natural Resources Defense Council that relate to the workings of Vice President Dick Cheney’s energy task force.

The California-based Greenlining Institute released recommendations for campaign finance reform from a civil rights perspective on February 12, the day the House of Representatives started debating the issue. Their recommendations are based on consultations with minority and low-income community leaders and a study of campaign contribution patterns in California. While some recommendations are addressed in pending campaign finance reform legislation, others are not, and will require a continued push for reform. The recommendations are:

After months of wrangling between the House, Senate and White House, a compromise on the Administration's Faith-Based Initiative has been reached. The CARE act of 2002 (S. 1924) was introduced on February 8, and contains several major provisions. These provisions include:

1. Tax incentives for giving,
2. Provisions for equal treatment of nongovernmental organizations that apply for federal grants,
3. Fast-track processing by the IRS of applications for 501(c)(3) status by small organizations applying for federal funds, and
4. Funding for six new programs.