Sunlight Foundation earmark disclosure project notes Walz's online list

We just received a kind note from the Sunlight Foundation about its Earmark Disclosure Project. The goals for the project are described in a blog post by Bill Allison:

We think, at a bare minimum, lawmakers–both Senators and Representatives–should release the same information that House rules require them to send to the Appropriations Committee. They should disclose the recipient of the earmark, a description of the project the earmark would fund, and the address of the recipient. They should additionally disclose the amount of money they asked for.

Congressman Walz is listed as a congressman who discloses his earmarks online; the site links to his earmarks. Open and transparent.

More about the number of lawmakers who disclose, from Allison's blog post:

. . .So let’s see if, while we’re waiting for the official disclosures from the committees, we can prevail upon members to be a bit more forthcoming. Sunlight, in conjunction with Taxpayers for Common Sense and Citizens Against Government Waste is asking for your help to reveal which lawmakers post their earmark requests online.There are a small number of lawmakers—some 46 of them—who have posted some information about their earmark requests to their official Web sites. [emphasis added] We are providing a list of them that includes links to the their requests. We also list the names of 46 other members who say they won’t request any earmarks. . . .

In addition to disclosing his earmark requests, Tim Walz supports earmark reform.  Even some of the more conservative newspapers in the district have noted the common-sense nature of Walz's request. A good example is the Owatonna People's Press editorial about the budget request for a flood mitigation project: An earmark that makes sense.

Update: Politico reports on a little sunlight of another kind in Dems who flipped on FISA immunity see more telecom cash.  Walz voted against telecom immunity last week and The Hill posted his statement in one of its blogs.

 

Comments

[Nisha Thompson]

Thanks for the post Ollie! Keep up the good work.

Nisha
Outreach Coordinator
Sunlight Foundation