We’re excited to be launching our Transparency Recap, a new regularly-updated overview of what’s happening on the blogosphere in terms of government transparency and accountability.  We’ll regularly recap some of the most interesting and informative blog entries, commentary and discussion. If you have a tip for us, send us an e-mail at info@voterwatch.org and we’ll be sure to follow up. Here’s the day’s scoop:

If you don’t know about PublicMarkup.org, you’re missing out. PublicMarkup.org is a new collaborative project from the Sunlight Foundation. After drafting a comprehensive piece of legislation (Transparency in Government Act of 2008), Sunlight decided that it would be best to place the text of the legislation online for public review and scrutiny - a measure Sunlight believes will increase the bill’s chances of earning lawmakers’ support.

In Sunlight’s own words, ”This project is not intended to be the ultimate technical solution to the challenge of drafting legislation online, but an experiment in online collaboration.” Be sure to check it out!

Speaking of Sunlight, Ellen Miller penned an interesting piece about the current debacle going on with the Federal Elections Committee:

“[David] Mason [one of the two sitting commissioners] has opposed a move by Sen. John McCain to pull his presidential campaign out of the public finance system...Mason’s position is that the FEC would have to approve his request to leave the system...Meanwhile, the McCain campaign is spending away and has long surpassed the spending limit. Bush’s solution...Good bye Chairman Mason.”

Meanwhile, over at the Free Government Information blog, chatter centers upon a report about the National Archives’ plan to provide online access to the Founding Fathers papers. When completed, the digital files from America’s founding era will provide quite a rich resource! According to a press release published by FGI,

“This report is the National Archives response to concerns raised by the Committees that the complete papers of America’s Founding Fathers are not available online. The Founders Online is a plan for providing online access, within a reasonable timeframe, to researchers, students and the general public.”

And yesterday, All Things Whistleblower focused on the raid on the Office of the Special Counsel and on the home of Special Counsel Scott Bloch. Interestingly, ATW’s Dylan Blaylock reported the following:

“While FBI spokesman would not publicly state what the nature of the raid was, Bloch has been under severe scrutiny since last November when he hired an outside service, Geeks On Call, to erase an unknown amount of information from OSC computers. Bloch has been investigated by the Office of Personnel Management’s IG over allegations that Bloch “retaliated against career employees and obstructed an investigation.”

Over on the Legislative Analysis Community Blog, Josh Tauberer features a piece that discusses the debate over electronic voting systems. Discussions are currently underway to address whether paper should be required - and whether a paper trail is truly needed. The entry explains that,

“The lack of a paper trail has...spurred Congress to action on the issue. There are currently two pieces of Democrat-sponsored legislation still alive and proceeding toward becoming law.”

And, if you’re a fan of OpenSecrets.org, head on over to their site to catch a sneak preview of all their new design! There are some big differences on the new site, but don’t take my word for it. Take the tour!

Over the next few months, VoterWatch will be working with prominent non-profit advocacy groups to assist them in better engaging their constituents online.  While many of you have seen our Congressional content, few have seen the additional annotation capabilities we have developed.  In January 2007, Think Progress presented the State of the Union address to hundreds of thousands of online viewers through the VoterWatch media player. 

Aside from simply watching the live event unfold, viewers were able to follow a synced transcript.  But, that’s not all.  VoterWatch assisted Think Progress in commenting and linking within the video footage.  This enabled Think Progress to fact check the president’s remarks, while inserting thought-provoking commentary—commentary and a transcript that scrolled along with the video!  But, don’t take my word for it.  We’ve pulled the video from the archives and placed it below. 

Very soon, other advocacy groups will be able to benefit from this same capability, as VoterWatch works toward greater government transparency and accountability.  Click the play button to see a recap of the 2007 State of the Union from Think Progress!

While today is a relatively slow day on the Hill, tomorrow will be full of Congressional activity.  Currently, there are 10 Senate committee hearings scheduled for Tuesday, April 4, 2008.  While there are no Senate hearings scheduled for today, two House hearings are currently posted. 

At 5:00 p.m., the House Committee on Appropriations will be meeting.  Currently, the committee’s web site provides an out-of-date schedule (the previous week’s meetings), but the following information regarding this committee hearing is available from the daily schedule of House committee meetings:

Select Intelligence Oversight Panel.  On the National Reconnaissance Office and National Geospatial Intelligence Agency.  Scott Large, Director, National Reconnaissance Office; Robert Murrett, Director, National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency.  H-140 Capitol.

At 5:00 p.m. there is also a full committee meeting scheduled to address H.R. 2634 -Jubilee Act for Responsible Lending and Expanded Debt Cancellation.  The last major action that occurred surrounding this bill was on April 10, 2008 (placed on the Union Calendar). 

According to THOMAS, the bill’s purpose is, ”To provide for greater responsibility in lending and expanded cancellation of debts owed to the United States and the international financial institutions by low-income countries, and for other purposes.”

That’s all for today.  Come back tomorrow for a full disclosure of committee activity. VoterWatch’s Congress Daily will have more information on the day’s House and Senate committee hearings/meetings before 10 a.m. tomorrow morning. 

At VoterWatch, we have spent some time analyzing a second week of C-SPAN coverage to explore what is being covered in terms of House and Senate committee hearings.  Overall, about 15% of the House and Senate meetings for the week of March 31-April 4, 2008, were covered by C-SPAN.  This is down from the last analysis, which showed a 28% coverage rate for the week of February 4-10, 2008.  In sum, the current analysis - much like the first - shows that we are missing comprehensive C-SPAN coverage of about 70-75% of committee hearings. 

Of course, some content is offered on committee web sites, but there is no, real consistency or reliability.  We’ve been making calls to each committee, so over the next few weeks, we’ll have an updated report that highlights what is offered online in terms of text (transcript), audio and video.  Below, please find the second round of analysis.



Closed Hearings (Not included in analysis):
- Thursday April 3, 2008, House Committee on Appropriations, Comprehensive National Cybersecurity Initiative
- Tuesday April 1, 2008, House Select Committee on Intelligence, Cyber Technology
- Wednesday April 2, 2008, House Select Committee on Intelligence, Hot Spots
- Wednesday April 2, 2008, House Select Committee on Intelligence, Budget
- Thursday April 3, 2008, House Select Committee on Intelligence, FY09 Budget

Monday, March 31, 2008
(No proportion of coverage to report)

C-SPAN COVERED THE FOLLOWING CONGRESSIONAL HEARINGS:
(No proportion of coverage to report)

C-SPAN DID NOT COVER THE FOLLOWING CONGRESSIONAL HEARINGS:
There were no Congressional meetings on Monday, March 31, 2008

Tuesday, April 1, 2008
14% of House/Senate Committee Meetings Covered

C-SPAN COVERED THE FOLLOWING CONGRESSIONAL HEARINGS:
- House Select Energy Independence and Global Warming, Oil Price Issues (C-SPAN; also aired on C-SPAN 2 and C-SPAN 3)
- House Appropriations, Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies, Fiscal Year 2009 FBI Budget (C-SPAN)
- House Appropriations, Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies, Funding for the Arts (C-SPAN)
- Senate Committee on Armed Services, New Army Doctrine (C-SPAN; also aired on C-SPAN 2 and C-SPAN 3)

C-SPAN DID NOT COVER THE FOLLOWING CONGRESSIONAL HEARINGS:
- House Committee on Appropriations, Rural Development
- House Committee on Appropriations, National Archives
- House Committee on Appropriations, Department of Homeland Security
- House Committee on Appropriations, Addressing the Challenges of Protecting the Nation’s Physical and Cyber Infrastructure
- House Armed Services Committee, Fiscal Year 2009 National Defense Authorization Budget Request
- House Armed Services Committee, Fiscal Year 2009 National Defense Authorization Budget Request
- House Armed Services Committee, Holistic Approaches to Cybersecurity Enabling Network Centric Operations
- House Committee on Homeland Security, “The Future of Science and Technology at the Department of Homeland Security”
- Committee on House Administration, The “National Voter Registration Act, Section 7: The challenges that public assistance agencies face.”
- Committee on House Administration, Full Committee Meeting
- House Committee on the Judiciary, Joint Hearing on Paying With Their Lives: The Status of Compensation for 9/11 Health Effects
- House Committee on the Judiciary, Joint Hearing on Paying With Their Lives: The Status of Compensation for 9/11 Health Effects
- House Committee on the Judiciary, Hearing on H.R. 4044
- House Committee on Rules, United States Global Leadership Against HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria Reauthorization Act of 2008
- House Committee on Infrastructure, A Growing Capitol Complex and Visitor Center: Needs for Transportation, Security, Greening, Energy, and Maintenance
- House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) Treatment and Research
- House Committee on Ways and Means, Hearing on the 2008 Medicare Trustees Report
- Senate Committee on Appropriations, U.S. Forest Service Budget
- Senate Committee on Armed Services, Readiness of the Armed Forces in review of the Defense Authorization Request for Fiscal Year 2009 and the Future Years Defense Program
- Senate Committee on Armed Services, Testimony on ballistic missile defense programs in review of the Defense Authorization Request for Fiscal Year 2009 and the Future Years Defense Program.
- Senate Committee on Natural Resources, Full Committee Meeting
- Senate Committee on Finance, Anti-Terrorism Financing: Progress Made and the Challenges Ahead
- Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, The Situation in Iraq
- Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions: Serious OSHA Violations
- Senate Committee on the Judiciary, Rape as a Weapon of War: Accountability for Sexual Violence in Conflict

Wednesday, April 2, 2008
14% of House/Senate Committee Meetings Covered

C-SPAN COVERED THE FOLLOWING CONGRESSIONAL HEARINGS:
- Joint Economic Committee, U.S. Economic Outlook (C-SPAN; also aired on C-SPAN 3)
- Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, Political Developments in Iraq (C-SPAN; also aired on C-SPAN 3)
- Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, Security Situation in Iraq (C-SPAN; also aired on C-SPAN 2 and C-SPAN 3)
- Senate Committee on the Judiciary, Homeland Security Oversight (C-SPAN 2; also aired on C-SPAN 3)

C-SPAN DID NOT COVER THE FOLLOWING CONGRESSIONAL HEARINGS:
- House Committee on Appropriations, Food and Drug Administration
- House Committee on Appropriations, Outside Witnesses
- House Committee on Appropriations, Legal Services Corporation
- House Committee on Appropriations, Department of Energy – Weapons Activities and Naval Reactors
- House Committee on Appropriations, Office of Personnel Management
- House Committee on Appropriations, Cargo, Container and Supply Chain Security
- House Committee on Appropriations, Indian Health Service
- House Committee on Appropriations, Defense Budget
- House Committee on Appropriations, International Peacekeeping Activities and International Organizations
- House Committee on Appropriations, Highway and Transit Programs: Urgent Funding Needs
- House Committee on Appropriations, National Surface Transportation Policy and Revenue Study Commission
- House Committee on Financial Services, Proposed UIGEA Regulations: Burden without Benefit?”
- House Committee on Foreign Affairs, Strategic Chaos and Taliban Resurgence in Afghanistan
- House Committee on Foreign Affairs, United Nations Peacekeeping Operations: An Underfunded International Mandate – the Role of the United States
- House Natural Resources Committee, Full Committee Hearing
- House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, The Federal Advisory Committee Act (FACA) of 2008
- House Committee on Rules, H.R. 4847: United States Fire Administration Reauthorization Act of 2007
- House Committee on Science and Technology, International Science and Technology Cooperation
- House Committee on Infrastructure, National Flood Plain Remapping: The Practical Impact
- House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs, Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) and Vision Issues
- Select Committee on Energy Independence and Global Warming, From the Wright Brothers to the Right Solutions: Curbing Soaring Aviation Emissions
- Senate Committee on Appropriations, Labor HHS Hearing
- Senate Committee on Appropriations, Energy and Water Hearing
- Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works, “Oversight on the Listing Decision for the Polar Bear Under the Endangered Species Act.”
- Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs, Nuclear Terrorism: Assessing the Threat to the Homeland

Thursday, April 3, 2008
17% of House/Senate Committee Meetings Covered

* It was difficult to match one of the House Appropriations committee meetings with C-SPAN’s available descriptions for April 3, 2008.  While the selection has most likely been matched correctly, in the event that it was not, the proportion of events covered remains the same

C-SPAN COVERED THE FOLLOWING CONGRESSIONAL HEARINGS:
- House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, Airline Safety Oversight, Part 1 (C-SPAN)
- House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, Airline Safety Oversight, Part 2 (C-SPAN)
- Senate Committee on Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs, U.S. Financial Markets and Sale of Bear Stearns (C-SPAN; C-SPAN 2; C-SPAN 3)
- House Committee on Appropriations, Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies,
Fiscal Year 2009 Justice Department Budget (C-SPAN)
- House Committee on Appropriations/Homeland Security, Protecting Presidential Candidates (C-SPAN 2; aired April 4th, but hearing occurred April 3rd)

C-SPAN DID NOT COVER THE FOLLOWING CONGRESSIONAL HEARINGS:
- House Committee on Appropriations, Natural Resources Conservation Service Budget
- House Committee on Appropriations, Census
- House Committee on Appropriations, Department of Energy: Nuclear Nonproliferation
- House Committee on Appropriations, General Services Administration
- House Committee on Appropriations, Public Witnesses
- House Committee on Appropriations, Bureau of Indian Affairs & Office of Special Trustee
- House Committee on Appropriations, Veterans Affairs Information Technology
- House Armed Services Committee, Fiscal Year 2009 National Defense Authorization Budget Request
- House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, Subcommitee Markup of H.R. 3799, “Federal Employees Paid Parental Leave Act”
- House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, Managing Diversity of Senior Leadership in the Federal Workforce and Postal Service
- House Committee on Science and Technology, NASA’s Exploration Initiative: Status and Issues
- House Committee on Small Business, Role of Credit Cards in the Financing of Small Firms
- House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs, AMVETS, MOPH, GSW, FRA, TREA, MOAA, NASDVA Legislative Presentation
- Senate Committee on Appropriations, Transportation Subcommittee Hearing
- Senate Committee on Appropriations, CJS Subcommittee Hearing
- Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, International Fisheries: Management and Enforcement
- Senate Committee on Natural Resources, Full Committee Meeting
- Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works, “Examining Strategies to Reduce Greenhouse Gas Emissions at U.S. Colleges and Universities”
- Senate Committee on Finance, Outside the Box on Estate Tax Reform: Reviewing Ideas to Simplify Planning
- Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, Iraq 2012: What Can It Look Like, How Do We Get There?
- Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs, Managing Diversity of Senior Leadership in the Federal Workforce and the Postal Service
- Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs, The New FEMA: Is the Agency Better Prepared for a Catastrophe Now Than It Was in 2005?
- Senate Committee on the Judiciary, Nominationl
- Senate Committee on Veterans’ Affairs, Legislative presentations from AMVETS, etc.
- Senate Special Committee on Aging, Scrambling for Health Insurance Coverage: Health Security for People in Late Middle

Friday, April 4, 2008
0% of House/Senate Committee Meetings Covered

C-SPAN COVERED THE FOLLOWING CONGRESSIONAL HEARINGS:
C-SPAN did not cover the one hearing that occurred on April 4, 2008

C-SPAN DID NOT COVER THE FOLLOWING CONGRESSIONAL HEARINGS:
- Joint Economic Committee, The Employment Situation: March 2008

Exciting things are happening here at VoterWatch, as we work toward the launch of a pilot program that will assist us in further promoting government transparency and citizen engagement!

In preparation for VoterWatch’s upcoming program, we’ve spent some time analyzing C-SPAN’s coverage of Congressional hearings.  Since our primary interest is in creating a video record of what occurs in House and Senate meetings, access to footage is paramount.  Unfortunately (and as many of you know), our government doesn’t offer adequate access to video, audio, and transcripts, as the quality and availability of these items greatly differ among committees.

Since C-SPAN is the main hub for Congressional footage, we decided to examine one week of network coverage to see exactly what the C-SPAN channels are covering—and what they’re not.  While we are not attempting to fault C-SPAN for missing hearings (after all, covering all of the committees is an arduous and expensive task), we think it’s important to understand what we’re not seeing.

We’ll be expanding on this examination next week, as we explore a second week of coverage.  For now, please read on for an analysis of the week of February 4-10, 2008!


Analysis

Overall, C-SPAN covered 28% of all committee hearings held during the week of February 4-10, 2008.  This does not include the four closed hearings that occurred.  The four closed committee hearings were:

- One Hearing, Wednesday, February 6, 2008, Senate Select Committee on Intelligence (Iran meeting)

- One Hearing, Wednesday, February 6, 2008, House Committee on Appropriations (Defense Subcommittee meeting)

- Two Hearings, Thursday, February 7, 2008, House Committee on Appropriations (both Defense Subcommittee meetings)

Any events that were repeated are counted only one time (on the day that they occurred during the week of analysis) and any event that was aired from a previous date is not included.  Programming (hearings only) from all three networks—C-SPAN, C-SPAN2 and C-SPAN3—is included. 

Here is the analysis, complete with daily proportions of coverage:


Monday, February 4, 2008
(No proportion of coverage to report; C-SPAN aired two committee meetings from January 29, 2008)

There were no Congressional meetings on Monday, February 4, 2008


Tuesday, February 5, 2008
75% of House/Senate Committee Meetings Covered

C-SPAN COVERED THE FOLLOWING CONGRESSIONAL HEARINGS:
- Senate Finance Committee, Fiscal Year 2009 Budget Proposal (2/5; C-SPAN; Also aired on C-SPAN 2)
- Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, National Security Assessment (2/5; C-SPAN; Also aired on C-SPAN 2 and 3)
- Senate Budget Committee, Fiscal Year 2009 Budget Proposal (2/5; C-SPAN; Also aired on C-SPAN 2)

C-SPAN DID NOT COVER THE FOLLOWING CONGRESSIONAL HEARINGS:
- Senate Committee on Veterans’ Affairs, Review of Veterans’ Disability Compensation: Rehabilitating Veterans


Wednesday, February 6, 2008
38% of House/Senate Committee Hearings Covered

C-SPAN COVERED THE FOLLOWING CONGRESSIONAL HEARINGS:
- Senate Committee on Armed Services, Fiscal Year 2009 Defense Budget Proposal (2/6; C-SPAN; Aired twice)
- House Armed Services Committee, Fiscal Year 2009 Defense Budget Proposal (2/6; C-SPAN and C-SPAN 3)
- Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works, Funding the Highway Trust Fund (2/6; C-SPAN 2)
- Senate Finance Committee, Fiscal Year 2009 HHS Budget Proposal (2/6; C-SPAN 2 and 3)
- House Committee on Foreign Affairs, Situation in Kenya (2/6; C-SPAN 2)

C-SPAN DID NOT COVER THE FOLLOWING CONGRESSIONAL HEARINGS:
- Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, U.S. Department of Energy’s budget for fiscal year 2009
- Senate Committee on the Environment and Public Works, Full Committee Business Meeting
- Senate Committee on the Environment and Public Works, Perspectives on the Surface Transportation Commission Report
- Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, Briefing on Sudan
- Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, Nominations
- House Natural Resources Committee, Legislative Hearing on H.R. 2176 and H.R. 4115
- House Committee on Rules, Legislative Hearing on H.R. 4137 and H.Res. 955
- House Armed Services Committee, Testimony on Fiscal Year 2009 National Defense Budget Request from the Department of Defense


Thursday, February 7, 2008
12% of House/Senate Committee Hearings Covered

C-SPAN COVERED THE FOLLOWING CONGRESSIONAL HEARINGS:
- House Judiciary Committee, Justice Department Oversight (2/7; C-SPAN; Aired twice)
- House Select Intelligence Committee, National Security Assessment (2/7; C-SPAN and C-SPAN 3)
- House Committee on Veterans Affairs, Fiscal Year 2009 Veterans Affairs Budget Proposal (2/7; C-SPAN 2)

C-SPAN DID NOT COVER THE FOLLOWING CONGRESSIONAL HEARINGS:
- House Committee on Appropriations, Quality of Life
- House Committee on Appropriations, Department of Interior Budget
- House Committee on Appropriations, Capitol Visitor Center Oversight
- House Committee on Appropriations, Department of Transportation Budget
- House Armed Services Committee, Testimony on Beneficiary Advocacy Overview
- House Committee on the Budget, The President’s Fiscal Year 2009 Budget
- House Committee on Energy and Commerce, Department of Energy’s Fiscal Year 2009 Budget Proposal
- House Financial Services Committee, Diversity in the Financial Services Sector
- House Financial Services Committee, Holocaust Insurance Accountability Act of 2007
- House Committee on Foreign Affairs, U.S. Obligations Under the Merida Initiative
- House Committee on Homeland Security, Other Transaction Authority: Flexibility at the Expense of Accountability?
- House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, Agency Budgets and Priorities for FY 2009
- House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, The President’s FY09 Federal Aviation Administration Budget
- House Committee on Ways and Means, Hearing on the President’s Fiscal Year 2009 Budget
- Senate Committee on the Armed Services, Testimony on Business Transformation and Financial Management at the Department of Defense
- Senate Committee on the Armed Services, Testimony on the final report of the Commission on the National Guard and Reserves
- Senate Committee on Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs, Reforming the Regulation of the Government Sponsored Enterprises
- Senate Committee on Commerce, Science & Transportation, Nominations Hearing
- Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, Hearing to Receive Testimony on the Energy Market Effects of the Recently-Passed Renewable Fuel Standard
- Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, Nominations
- Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, The Immediate and Underlying Causes and Consequences of Kenya’s Flawed Election
- Senate Committee on the Judiciary, The Founding Fathers’ Papers: Ensuring Public Access to our National Treasures
- Senate Committee on Indian Affairs, Hearing on the Nomination of Robert G. McSwain, to Be Director of the Indian Health Service


Friday, February 8, 2008
50% of House/Senate Committee Hearings Covered

C-SPAN COVERED THE FOLLOWING CONGRESSIONAL HEARINGS:
- House Committee on Administration, Contested Florida Election (2/8; C-SPAN; Aired twice)
- House Committee on Foreign Affairs, U.S. Policy Toward Iraq (2/8; C-SPAN; Aired twice)

C-SPAN DID NOT COVER THE FOLLOWING CONGRESSIONAL HEARINGS:
- House Financial Services Committee, Negative Implications of the President’s Signing Statement on the Sudan Accountability and Divestment Act
- House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, Government Accountability Office’s Review of the Federal Protective Service: Preliminary Findings

We could kiss Henry Waxman!  For those of you following our saga of trying to get government hearings, you know that it’s been incredibly frustrating because so few committees release public information about what they’re up to.  Only lobbyists who pay hefty subscription prices had access.  Now, without fanfair, the House Oversight Committee is making it easier.  Check out their hearings, and read more about it in Dan Froomkin’s article, Citizen Journalists, Start Your Engines! (December 4, 2007).

“Major hearings are often transcribed in real-time by CQ Transcripts and the Federal News Service, but those are copyrighted works that are only available to those who pay for them or have a subscription to Nexis.

Up until now, it took more than six months for public-domain transcripts of most hearings to become available. They had to work their way through an arduous proofing and approval process before finally being published by the Government Printing Office.

But now, without any formal announcement, the House Oversight Committee has started Web-publishing the preliminary transcripts prepared by official stenographers as soon as they are available—typically within a few days of the hearing. In other words, while the news is still fresh.”

We hope other committees will follow suit! 

Hey all,

We’re up and running and now in need of an executive director who can take us to the next level!  Below is the job description.  Please pass it on to someone you know who believes in democracy and citizen access to government!  Interested folks can email us at pni(at)voterwatch.org

Best,
Perla

Description
VoterWatch, a cutting edge technology nonprofit is seeking an experienced leader who takes initiative to serve as its first Executive Director.  Based on an award-winning technology, VoterWatch enables citizens, journalists, educators, and advocacy organizations to easily and conveniently search and share Congressional and governmental videos.  Since our launch in May, we’ve received high compliments from bloggers, nonprofit advocacy groups and citizen groups eager to use our technology.

We’re looking for someone with a background in politics/advocacy/government relations; who has experience with blogging/online media and who is passionate about democracy.

The Executive Director will have a unique opportunity to build an organization from the ground up to help us fulfill our public-service mission.  This requires someone who can both strategize and communicate on the mission and strategy level, as well as can implement, meet deliverables, follow-through on details, and manage staff on a hands-on, day-to-day level.  For more information on VoterWatch visit: http://voterwatch.org

This position can be either based in the San Francisco Bay Area or in Washington, DC.  Our current team members are based in Prague, Montreal, New York and San Francisco.

Responsibilities
The Executive Director will report directly to the VoterWatch Board of Directors. The Executive Director will be responsible for:

* Managing programmatic and fundraising relationships with the Board of Directors, recruiting additional full and advisory board members to support the organization’s funding and programmatic initiatives as needed, and creating board committees.  Reporting on a regular basis to the board on the progress of all programmatic and funding initiatives as well as the financial status of the organization.

* Directing all operational program activities with VoterWatch staff and consultants, providing supervision and feedback on performance. 

* Directing content strategy and managing operational nuts and bolts of moving video and transcript through our process.

* Strategic planning and implementing new programs that will further the organization’s mission.

* Building partnerships with other organizations working on governmental videos, as well as conducting marketing outreach to key constituency groups including professional journalists, bloggers,
educators, and advocacy organizations.

* Creating a strategic fundraising plan to solicit individual, corporate, and foundation giving, implementing that plan, and raising funds to support our program activities.

* Preparing and managing VoterWatch’s annual operating budget and maintaining fiscally sound operations.

Compensation
Commensurate with experience. Base of 50K plus bonus.

Location
Based either in the San Francisco Bay Area or in Washington, DC

Qualifications
VoterWatch is looking for candidates with experience/ability/background in the following areas:

* Political or advocacy experience on a national level and/or familiarity with Congress
* Blogging or internet-based campaigns
* Program Management
* Marketing
* Fundraising
* Board Development
* Fiscal Management
* Operations
* Nonprofit start-up experience preferred

Today I received an unexpected email at our general info(at)voterwatch.org that gave me hope for the future of transparency in Congress:

I ran across your list of where to find committee transcripts, audio, and video.  It is a great resource.  I just wanted to point out that we also have archives of nearly all of our hearings (ones missing are due to technical difficulties) since the beginning of the Congress here: http://edlabor.house.gov/committee/hearings.shtml, and we post selected statements made in hearings as well as some of our press conferences and the occasional floor speech on our YouTube site: http://www.youtube.com/edlabordemocrats.

Will Johnston
New Media Specialist
Committee on Education and Labor
U.S. House of Representatives
345-B Rayburn HOB

This is the first time we’ve been contacted pro-actively by someone in Congress.  We couldn’t be more delighted to be corrected.  Will Johnston seems to be working hard to make videos and transcripts available to the public.  Hurray!  In the next weeks we’ll be contacting more committees and trying to find more staffers who are working to improve transparency and communication to the public and their constituents.  And yes, if there’s anyone else who sees an error in our summary of available information from committees, please email us and we’ll update our list!  info(at)voterwatch.org

A new twist on the fictions inserted into the Congressional Record:

Is Congressional Record for sale?

By MICHAEL MALIK
Scripps Howard Foundation Wire
April 18, 2006

WASHINGTON - Hanging in the lobby of its office in Grand Rapids, Mich., is a plaque honoring Universal Forest Products for its 50th anniversary.

“Universal is a great American business success story and it is my privilege to honor the company, its chairman, Peter Secchia, and its thousands of employees,” reads the plaque, which hangs alongside other awards and photographs at company headquarters.

It’s a copy of a statement that Rep. Vernon Ehlers, R-Mich., inserted into the official Congressional Record on Feb. 1, 2005.

What it doesn’t say is that nine days before Ehlers put the statement into the record, Secchia gave Ehlers a $1,000 campaign contribution. About two weeks earlier, another Universal executive donated $500. Since 2001, the two executives have given Ehlers’ campaign committee $7,000.

The practice of honoring campaign donors in the Congressional Record is commonplace among members of the House of Representatives, according to a study by the Scripps Howard Foundation Wire. 

Continue reading full article

Another example cited by Reason magazine: 

On June 8, 2006, as Congress mulled a measure to repeal the estate tax, Sen. Dianne Feinstein of California rose to oppose the proposal. “Now is not the time,” the Democrat declared, “to place the interests of a small number of millionaires ahead of millions of working families.” She continued in this vein for over 1,100 words, then yielded the floor to Sen. Mitch McConnell. The Kentucky Republican took the opposite point of view, declaring the levy “one of the most destructive, unfair taxes ever conceived by government.” Then more senators took their turns at the microphone, arguing one side or the other: Mike Enzi, Tom Harkin, Lamar Alexander, Carl Levin, John Kerry, Orrin Hatch, Conrad Burns, Gordon Smith, Barbara Mikulski, John McCain. Barack Obama called the proposal “the Paris Hilton tax break,” which probably prompted some chuckles in the gallery.

Or would have, had he actually said it. Though all that activity appears in the Congressional Record, none of it really occurred. Only eight senators participated in the debate; the others—everyone listed above—pasted their remarks in later. 

Continue reading full Reason article

VoterWatch has been trying to post searchable videos of committee hearings.  Frankly, we’ve found it very frustrating because many committees don’t post video, audio or a transcript.  If you are a lobbyist, there’s a number of services that you can pay a lot of money to and get a same-day transcript.  But if you are a typical Joe like us, good luck on finding out what happened in the committee hearing.  It’s ironic that the Ethics committee - provides no public no transcript, no audio and no video…

Here’s the summary of our findings on the state of acccountability in our Congress from what is available on their websites.

House Committees

House Committee on Agriculture
http://agriculture.house.gov/index.shtml

Transcripts: http://agriculture.house.gov/hearings/index.html
Audio and Video: available streaming live (no archives) http://agriculture.house.gov/hearings/audio.html

Appropriations Committee
http://appropriations.house.gov/

Transcripts: none
Audio and Video: none

House Armed Services Committee
http://armedservices.house.gov/

Transcripts: http://armedservices.house.gov/audio_transcripts.shtml
Audio and Video: live streaming audio only (no archives) http://armedservices.house.gov/audiocast.shtml

Committee on the Budget
http://budget.house.gov/

Transcripts: http://budget.house.gov/hearings.htm
Audio and Video: live streaming, and select archives http://budget.house.gov/hearings.htm

Education and Labor
http://edlabor.house.gov/

Transcripts:http://www.access.gpo.gov/congress/house/house06ch110.html
Audio and Video: live webcasts on home page http://edlabor.house.gov/
Archived Video: http://edlabor.house.gov/committee/hearings.shtml

Energy and Commerce
http://energycommerce.house.gov/

Transcripts: http://www.access.gpo.gov/congress/house/house05ch110.html
Audio and Video: select hearings and a limited archive: http://energycommerce.house.gov/archives/archive_main.shtml

House Committee on Financial Services
http://financialservices.house.gov/

Transcripts: http://financialservices.house.gov/hearings_all.shtml
Audio and Video: live steaming only http://financialservices.house.gov/hearings_all.shtml

House Committee on Foreign Affairs
http://foreignaffairs.house.gov/

Transcripts: http://foreignaffairs.house.gov/testimony.asp?subnav=close
Audio and Video: http://foreignaffairs.house.gov/testimony.asp?subnav=close (only transcripts are archived)

Committee on Homeland Security
http://homeland.house.gov/

Transcripts:http://homeland.house.gov/hearings/index.asp (only select hearings)
Audio and Video: http://homeland.house.gov/hearings/index.asp (only select hearings)

Committee on House Administration
http://cha.house.gov/

Transcripts: None
Audio and Video: None

Committee on the Judiciary
http://judiciary.house.gov/

Transcripts: None
Audio and Video: Select hearings http://judiciary.house.gov/hearinglist.aspx

Committee on Natural Resources
http://resourcescommittee.house.gov/

Transcripts: nothing seems to work on this site
Audio and Video: live webcasts http://resourcescommittee.house.gov/

Committee on Oversight and Governmental Reform

Transcripts: yes about 2 -3 week delay
Audio and Video: yes, available same day or next day, also archived
http://oversight.house.gov/hearings.asp

Committee on Rules
http://www.rules.house.gov/

Transcripts: none
Audio and Video: none

Committee on Science and Technology

Transcripts: none
Audio and Video: it appears they only feature random, member-related events and not hearings: http://science.house.gov/press/multimedia_center.aspx

Small Business Committee
http://www.house.gov/smbiz/

Transcripts: by speaker, not clear if these are just statements or actually delivered: http://www.house.gov/smbiz/democrats/statements.htm
Audio and Video: Video highlights on YouTube (they provide you with a link: http://www.youtube.com/view_play_list?p=BA85856F6D9FD5D5)

Committee on Standards and Official Conduct
http://www.house.gov/ethics/

Transcripts: none
Audio and Video: none

House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee

Transcripts: written testimony only http://transportation.house.gov/hearings/
Audio and Video: none

House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs
http://veterans.house.gov/

Transcripts: opening statements and prepared testimony only http://veterans.house.gov/hearings/completed.html
Audio and Video: audio only http://veterans.house.gov/hearings/index.html

Committee on Ways and Means
http://waysandmeans.house.gov/

Transcripts: None of the transcripts available. Some testimonies and opening statements http://waysandmeans.house.gov/hearings.asp
Audio and Video: live webcast, no archives http://waysandmeans.house.gov/

Joint Committee on Taxation
http://www.house.gov/jct/

Transcripts: none
Audio and Video: none

Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence
http://intelligence.house.gov/

Transcripts: opening statements on 2 open hearings http://intelligence.house.gov/OpenHearings.aspx?Section=9
Audio and Video: none

Select Committee on Energy Independence and Global Warming

Transcripts: none
Audio and Video: none

Senate Committees

Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry Committee
http://agriculture.senate.gov/

Transcripts: None
Audio and Video: None

Appropriations
http://appropriations.senate.gov/

Transcripts:testimony http://appropriations.senate.gov/hearings.cfm
Audio and Video: select Web-casts and archives http://appropriations.senate.gov/webcasts.cfm

U.S. Senate Committee on Armed Services
http://armed-services.senate.gov/

Transcripts: None
Audio and Video: None

Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs
http://banking.senate.gov/index.cfm?FuseAction=FAQs.View&FAQ_id=16
Transcripts: None
Audio and Video: None

Senate Budget Committee
http://budget.senate.gov/

Transcripts: Select statements on the link below
Audio and Video: Streaming video (Real) http://budget.senate.gov/democratic/hearingstate.html; some archives.

Commerce, Science, and Transportation
http://commerce.senate.gov/public/

Transcripts: None
Audio and Video: Archived Webcasts organized by month (http://commerce.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?FuseAction=Hearings.ByMonth)

Energy and Natural Resources
http://energy.senate.gov/public/

Transcripts: None
Audio and Video: Live Webcasts (no archive)
http://energy.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?FuseAction=Hearings.Nowebcast

Environment and Public Works
http://epw.senate.gov/public/

Transcripts: Select testimony: http://epw.senate.gov/public/
Audio and Video: Archived webcasts (http://epw.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?FuseAction=Hearings.Home)
Link to the 109th Congress: http://epw.senate.gov/epwmultimedia/epwmultimedia.htm Seems like only select hearings, and with a significant time lag.

Senate Committee on Foreign Relations
http://foreign.senate.gov/

Transcripts: select testimony: http://foreign.senate.gov/hearing.html
Audio and Video: none

Health, Education, Labor and Pensions
http://help.senate.gov/

Transcripts: Select testimony at the link below
Audio and Video: Select hearings http://help.senate.gov/Hearings.html

Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs
http://hsgac.senate.gov/

Transcripts: Select testimony at the link below
Audio and Video: live streaming and select archives: http://hsgac.senate.gov/index.cfm?Fuseaction=Hearings.Home

Committee on the Judiciary
http://judiciary.senate.gov/

Transcripts: select testimony at the link below
Audio and Video: select web-casts: http://judiciary.senate.gov/schedule.cfm

Committee on Rules and Administration
http://judiciary.senate.gov/schedule.cfm

Transcripts: Statements at the link below
Audio and Video: Archived web-casts http://judiciary.senate.gov/schedule.cfm

Small Business and Entrepreneurship
http://sbc.senate.gov/

Transcripts: select statements at the link below
Audio and Video: select webcasts from hearings and markups http://sbc.senate.gov/events.cfm

Committee on Veterans Affairs
http://veterans.senate.gov/public/

Transcripts: select statements
Audio and Video: select audio and video http://veterans.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?pageid=16

Indian Affairs
http://indian.senate.gov/public/

Transcripts: select statements http://indian.senate.gov/public/
Audio and Video: None

Ethics
http://ethics.senate.gov/

Transcripts: None
Audio and Video: None

Aging
http://aging.senate.gov/

Transcripts: None
Audio and Video: Select video http://aging.senate.gov/hearings.cfm

Intelligence
http://intelligence.senate.gov/

Transcripts: Select opening statements http://intelligence.senate.gov/hearings.cfm
Audio and Video: None