In advance of the June 7 public hearing regarding whether the public will be allowed access to electronic court records, we will look at overall transparency in Maine state government, from access to information through FOIA requests to financial disclosure measures, accountability laws and ethics agencies. A 2015 report by the Center for Public Integrity ranked […]
Read More… from Government Transparency: How Does Maine Make Information Accessible to the Public?
The Center for Public Integrity, as a matter of policy, does not accept grants from the federal government. But the Center will accept compensation for the time and effort we put into fighting the government’s efforts to keep information from the public. And that’s what happened last month when the Center concluded a Freedom of […]
The Federal Election Commission could begin demanding more information about the vendors and consultants political committees pay, thanks to a federal appeals court decision Friday. The impact of the decision — which could have implications for how precisely political committees such as President Donald Trump’s re-election campaign and the Democratic National Committee have to detail their spending — will rest […]
Read More… from Politicos beware: Court ruling could prompt more transparent campaign spending
A U.S. District Court Judge has denied the Center for Public Integrity’s request for access to a taxpayer-funded study about cybersecurity vulnerabilities at the Federal Election Commission.
The court’s decision comes more than 13 months after the Center for Public Integrity sued the FEC for access to the security study, which the FEC commissioned following a Center investigation revealing how Chinese hackers infiltrated the FEC’s computer systems.
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Read More… from Judge rules against Center for Public Integrity in cybersecurity lawsuit
Washington Attorney General Bob Ferguson has two legislative proposals this year that can remove recent tarnish from Washington state government’s once sterling reputation for integrity and ethics in government.
The Center for Public Integrity, a non-partisan organization that grades states for ethics, gave Washington a D-plus grade this year, down from past years.
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Read More… from Editorial: More open, accountable government is needed in Washington
Virginia has a terrible record when it comes to transparency.
The state got a failing grade for public access for information from the Center for Public Integrity last year, so lawmakers are considering a number of bills to make the government more transparent.
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Read More… from How can Virginia improve poor record on transparency?
It’s early January, when New Year’s resolutions seem attainable, extra pounds from the holidays losable, and sound policy from new state legislative sessions at least possible. By now, 14 state capitals have welcomed their lawmakers back to town, and before the month is out, another 23 sessions will begin.
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In November 2014, Arkansas voters approved a ballot measure that, among other reforms, barred the state’s elected officials from accepting lobbyists’ gifts.
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Read More… from Only three states score higher than D+ in State Integrity Investigation; 11 flunk
For the second time in three months, the Center for Public Integrity has filed a federal lawsuit against the Federal Election Commission for refusing to release documents requested under the Freedom of Information Act.
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Read More… from Center for Public Integrity sues FEC for security study
Independent from candidates or political parties, political groups are playing a much larger role in state elections than a year ago, a Center for Public Integrity analysis of television advertising data shows.
So far this year, independent groups account for roughly 23 percent of TV ad dollars spent in the seven states with major races. Continue…
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Read More… from Outside groups playing bigger role in 2015 state elections
