Publications :  The Watcher :  OMB Watcher Vol. 7: 2006 :  November 7, 2006 Vol.7, No.22 : 

In This Issue

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Tumultuous Week for Voting Rights, Confusing Week for Voters (11/07/2006)
A series of last-minute court cases and pre-election maneuvers will likely leave many voters confused about their rights as they go to the polls today. Widespread concern surrounds electronic voting and a host of voter identification requirements that could create inequities at polling centers across the country. Legal challenges to voter requirements will not be resolved until after this election cycle, so concerned groups have launched new efforts to document voter fraud and disenfranchisement of minorities, and elderly and disabled persons.

ACORN Voter Registration Drive Investigated (11/07/2006)
Voter registration drives sponsored by the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now (ACORN) are being investigated by federal authorities and the Senate Finance Committee after allegations that fraudulent voter registration cards were submitted in four of its 17 state efforts. The group is cooperating with authorities and says misconduct by temporary workers appears to be at the root of the problem.

Nonprofits Call for Release of Frozen Funds for Humanitarian Efforts (11/07/2006)
In a letter sent Nov. 6, a group of charities and nonprofit sector leaders asked the Treasury Department to release frozen funds belonging to charities designated as supporters of terrorism "to trustworthy aid agencies that can ensure the funds are used for their intended charitable purposes." According to the letter, the request "takes no position on whether these designations were appropriate. Instead, [the authors'] concern is with ensuring that charitable funds are put to good use."

Declassification Board: Bulwark Against Excessive Secrecy or Executive 'Puppet'? (11/07/2006)
Controversy was sparked this week over how much authority the newly-funded Public Interest Declassification Board (PIDB) has to investigate excessive secrecy. A bipartisan group of Senators from the Senate Intelligence Committee requested that the board review two reports on intelligence failures leading up to the U.S. invasion of Iraq for possible over-classification. In an interim response, the board maintained it can only review a document after receiving authorization from the president. If this decision stands, PIDB will hold no independent power to review potential abuses of power and cases of unnecessary secrecy.

Nuclear Commission Re-proposes Secrecy Rule (11/07/2006)
The Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) has once again proposed a revision to its rules on information that should be withheld from the public under a category called Safeguards Information (SGI). The rule was originally proposed in February 2005. Now based on public comments and changes to the Energy Policy Act of 2005, the NRC has proposed additional changes. While apparently narrowing the scope of some provisions, making it harder to withhold information, the amended rule would significantly expand SGI's definition, inserting language and add a new category of covered information -- Safeguards Information-Modified Handling (SGI-M).

Intelligence Agencies Go Wiki (11/07/2006)
John Negroponte, director of National Intelligence, announced that federal intelligence agencies have implemented a new Wikipedia-like tool to share information across agencies. Intellipedia allows 16 intelligence agencies to access, update and revise pages on matters of national security. This cutting-edge venture in government information management is a welcome development for agencies that have often been stymied by turf warfare and other impediments to information sharing.

Tax Policy on the Campaign Trail (11/07/2006)
During the current campaign season, both Democrats and Republicans have allowed election-year rhetoric to distort the true nature and outcomes of current tax policy.

Congress Continues Insufficient Oversight of Federal Contracts (11/07/2006)
Even as reports of contracting fraud and contractor malfeasance continue to stack up, Congress has taken steps to reduce the federal government's capacity to investigate and oversee how government contracts are awarded and administered.

EPA Falters on Commitment to Environmental Justice (11/07/2006)
Less than two months after the Inspector General for the Environmental Protection Agency issued a report critical of the agency's commitment to environmental justice, EPA closes the doors of one of its regional offices for minority advocacy.

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