Government Transparency

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• Government Transparency
• Digitized Data

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Where we are
1. Some political data is available 2. NGOs make
it more usable 3. Time lag is a huge problem
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1. Available Data

• Campaign finance data from FEC
• Legislative info from Thomas
• Lobbyist disclosures from SOPR
• Foreign Agent Registrations from FARA
• Contracts grants from USASpending.gov
• Agency rulemaking form Regulations.gov

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2. Making data more accessible
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www.OpenSecrets.org
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3. How quick is disclosure?

• Campaign finance reports are quarterly
• Lobbying reports are now quarterly
• Personal financial disclosure annually

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We need faster, more precise transparency

• When will we know which interests wanted what
  from the stimulus?
• Who will tell us if they got it?

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Striving for Total Influence Awareness
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Bill Allison ballison_at_sunlightfoundation.com