Ethics

March 11th, 2009 -- Today President Obama signed the final version of last year’s budget, as posted here on Friday while it was making its way through Congress, in order to keep the government functioning. As he explained, there was much to speak well of in the bill:

Now, yesterday Congress sent me the final part of last year's budget; a piece of legislation that rolls nine bills required to keep the government running into one, a piece of legislation that addresses the immediate concerns of the American people by making needed investments in line with our urgent national priorities.

That's what nearly 99 percent of this legislation does -- the nearly 99 percent that you probably haven't heard much about.    » read more »

March 10th, 2009 -- The White House periodically gets questions about the President’s Executive Order on Ethics and how it is being implemented. In addition to responding to these questions individually, we thought it might make sense to provide an overview to the public of the background for the Order and how it has been working so far.    » read more »

March 9, 2009 -- "For nearly two centuries, Presidents have issued statements addressing constitutional or other legal questions upon signing bills into law (signing statements). Particularly since omnibus bills have become prevalent, signing statements have often been used to ensure that concerns about the constitutionality of discrete statutory provisions do not require a veto of the entire bill.    » read more »

Statement by Francesca Grifo, Union of Concerned Scientists

WASHINGTON (March 9, 2009)—Today President Obama issued a memorandum that follows Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS) recommendations to prevent the abuse, manipulation and suppression of federal science.

The following is a statement by Dr. Francesca Grifo, director of the UCS's Scientific Integrity Program:

"Just a few years ago, almost 15,000 scientists across the country signed a UCS-sponsored statement denouncing the politicization of federal science, and today's memorandum is proof that the Obama administration heard their cry. Federal policy decisions that affect public health and the environment must be based on robust scientific analysis free of political interference and manipulation.    » read more »

February 26, 2009 -- MONTGOMERY - During a news conference at the state capitol this morning, Alabama Governor Bob Riley outlined the details of a proposal he has submitted that is “a total and complete” overhaul of the state’s ethics code.

The Alabama Code of Public Ethics, which is sponsored by Senator Ben Brooks and Representative Mac Gipson, would bring greater transparency to dealings between lobbyists and public servants, prevent conflicts of interests, and empower the state’s Ethics Commission to enforce the law.

Governor Riley first announced the ethics reform proposal during his State of the State Address earlier this month.    » read more »

The Office of Management and Budget should use Obama directive as an opportunity to seek input from diverse interests with regulatory expertise.

(WASHINGTON) February 3, 2009 — President Barack Obama today announced his administration will reform the way the Office of Management and Budget's (OMB) Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA) reviews federal regulations. Obama has asked OMB Director Peter Orszag to consult with regulatory agency representatives and recommend a new executive order addressing regulatory review.

The following is a statement by Dr. Francesca Grifo, senior scientist and director of the Scientific Integrity Program at the Union of Concerned Scientists:    » read more »

Jan. 29, 2009 -- DENVER, CO – Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar today launched an ethics reform initiative that will reexamine the potential criminal conduct of a group of Minerals Management Service employees, look at restructuring the agency’s oil and gas royalty program, and thoroughly review the Department’s ethics regulations and policies.

Leading the initiative for the Secretary will be Tom Strickland, the Secretary’s chief of staff who was the United States Attorney for Colorado when Salazar served as the state’s Attorney General and top law enforcement officer.    » read more »

Washington, DC - 01/27/2009 - Recent action in Congress to reauthorize the U.S. federal nanotechnology research program offers the chance to address the social and ethical issues concerning the emerging scientific field, experts say.

“It is crucial to address social and ethical issues now as we consider both the substantial potential risks of nanotechnology and its possible significant contributions to our well-being and environmental sustainability,” says Ronald Sandler, Northeastern University philosophy professor and author of a new report funded by the Project on Emerging Nanotechnologies (PEN) and the National Science Foundation.    » read more »

January 26, 2009 -- WASHINGTON, D.C. — Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar today sent a memo to all Department of the Interior employees outlining the ethical responsibilities he expects all employees to meet. Secretary Salazar's memo to employees follows in the spirit of President Obama's Executive Order of Jan. 21 on ethical standards for political appointees.

The full text of the memo follows and is available at www.doi.gov.

***

January 26, 2009

Memorandum

To: All DOI Employees

From: Secretary

Subject: Ethical Responsibilities    » read more »

Statement of Joan Claybrook, President, Public Citizen

Jan. 22, 2009 -- "President Obama campaigned with the promise of change, a commitment to government openness and a pledge to uphold high ethical standards. On his first full day in office, the new president showed a willingness to turn rhetoric into action.    » read more »

Washington DC --02 June 2008 -- A new documentary "At the Death House Door" and a Virginia execution of convicted killer Kevin Green have once again stirred the controversy over capital punishment. New questions have been raised in recent years over the U.S. death penalty, as some officials say minorities and the poor are disproportionately put to death. In other cases, DNA tests resulted in the release of a few inmates who were scheduled to die.

On a Friday night in February 1983 a man with a knife walks into a Texas convenience store. The documentary "At the Death House Door" replays the conversation in which Wanda Lopez, a lone clerk, calls the police screaming for help while being attacked.    » read more »

April 3, 2008 -- This week, John McCain is on a tour that his campaign claims is intended to outline the ways McCain's life experiences inform his political leadership. In truth, McCain is leaving out key parts of his bio that reveal the real John McCain.

Yesterday, John McCain completely ignored a key anniversary in one of the incidents that defined his 26 years as a Washington insider and revealed the reality behind John McCain's "do as I say, not as I do" approach to reform: his involvement in the Keating Five scandal.

Senator John McCain: Photo by Wigwam Jones (CC)    » read more »

April 1, 2008 -- Connecticut Governor M. Jodi Rell today called on legislative leaders in both chambers and from both parties to work with her to pass a comprehensive, nine-point ethics bill that would, among other things, allow judges to reduce or revoke the pension of a state or municipal official convicted of any crime related to their office and make it a criminal offense to fail to report a bribe. The Governor called for the bill to be passed when the House and Senate meet in full session next week.    » read more »

Mar 05, 2008 -- BATON ROUGE – Today, Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal signed four more bills passed by the legislature in the ethics reform special session into law. Jindal signed HB 6, HB 7, HB 8, and HB 22 today and will continue to sign additional ethics reform bills in the coming days.

BACKGROUND ON BILLS SIGNED INTO LAW:

HB 6: Requires annual ethics training for all public servants and lobbyists. This law will phase in mandatory training each year for all those governed by the ethics code to promote awareness and compliance with new and existing laws.    » read more »

February 13, 2008, Juneau, Alaska – Alaska Governor Sarah Palin today signed House Bill 317 into law. HB 317 eliminates the limit on compassionate gifts that a legislator or legislative employee may solicit, accept, or receive under the Legislative Ethics Act.

The bill was drafted in an effort to assist Representative Richard Foster, to whom a legislative aide has offered to donate one of her kidneys. Compassionate gifts will still be reported to the Alaska Public Offices Commission to protect the public’s ability to know how elected officials are compensated.    » read more »