Sunlight Foundation Reporting Group

1. Dicks requests earmark for Concurrent Technologies

   By Bill Allison Apr 3, 2009 9:47 p.m.

   Rep. Norm Dicks requested one Defense earmark for one former client of PMA Group:

   Read all about it

2. Moran requests funds for Samueli Institute

   By Bill Allison Apr 3, 2009 9:39 p.m.

   The press release is here. The Washington Post profiled the research facility a while back:

   Read all about it

3. Nothing yet from Norm Dicks, C.W. "Bill" Young

   By Bill Allison Apr 3, 2009 9:14 p.m.

   As noted here, Rep. Norm Dicks is one of the more prolific PMA Group earmarks, and is number four on the list of top recipients of PMA Group & client campaign cash. Searching Dicks' site, I was unable to find a list of appropriations requests.

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4. Visclosky shuts out former PMA Group clients

   By Bill Allison Apr 3, 2009 7:54 p.m.

   Rep. Pete Visclosky was one of the top recipients of contributions from PMA Group. He endorsed some form of investigation of the lobbying firm that was raided by the FBI -- "What form that action takes, who offers it, how it will turn out, I don't know," he said last month. In his fiscal year 2010 earmark requests, just posted online, he requested no earmarks for former clients of PMA Group.

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5. Moran requests nine defense earmarks for former PMA Group clients

   By Bill Allison Apr 3, 2009 7:30 p.m.

   Rep. James Moran released his list of appropriations requests today. A quick review shows he's asking for nine earmarks for former clients of PMA Group, worth a total of $17.5 million.

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6. Earmark requests due online today

   By Bill Allison Apr 3, 2009 7:02 p.m.

   I was just forwarded a press release from the office of Rep. Jeff Flake, reminding us that members have to post their earmark requests online today:

   Read all about it

7. Top secret Appropriations earmark database crashes

   By Bill Allison Apr 3, 2009 3:37 p.m.

   So reports Politico's Anne Schroeder Mullins.

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8. Prairie Parkway dead?

   By Bill Allison Apr 2, 2009 6:51 p.m.

   So says Chicago Sun-Times columnist Lynn Sweet:

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9. K Street Boom: At least 1,699 new clients in 2009

   By Bill Allison Apr 1, 2009 6:21 p.m.

   Lobbying firms and special interests have filed nearly 1,700 new registration forms so far in the first quarter of 2009, according to a review of lobbying disclosure forms available online at the Senate Office of Public Records. As the federal government pumps up spending and intervenes in the troubled financial markets, K Street firms appear to have had no shortage of new business.

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10. Bloomberg: Dodd faces campaign cash shortage

    By Bill Allison Apr 1, 2009 6:20 p.m.

    Kristin Jensen and Jonathan D. Salant report that Sen. Christopher Dodd is facing a cash crunch as he gears up for his reelection bid:

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11. Timely disclosure fail

    By Bill Allison Apr 1, 2009 4:07 p.m.

    I'll be posting some info on where we are with new lobbying clients in the first quarter of 2009, but in the meantime (and with apologies to the sometimes work unsafe Fail Blog), thought I'd post one of the search results I came across while going through the Senate Office of Public Records lobbying database (click the image to see it larger):

    Read all about it

12. NPR: Charges against Stevens dropped

    By Bill Allison Apr 1, 2009 1:11 p.m.

    Sen. Ted Stevens testified that he and his wife had "lots of things in our house that don't belong to us" in his trial on charges that he'd failed to report tens of thousands of dollars worth of gifts from an Alaskan company that sought his favor; he was found guilty, but charged prosecutorial misconduct (claims that seemed to have merit). Now NPR reports that the Justice Department it will drop all charges against Stevens:

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13. A trillion here, a trillion there...

    By Bill Allison Mar 31, 2009 9:33 p.m.

    "History teaches us that an outlay of so much money in such a short period of time will inevitably attract those seeking to profit criminally," the Hill quotes Neil Barofsky, the Special Inspector General for the Troubled Asset Relief Program, saying.

    Read all about it

14. Tariff Action Coalition formed

    By Bill Allison Mar 31, 2009 3 a.m.
    Read all about it

Investigations by Sunlight Foundation reporter Bill Allison