February 11, 2009 The Pump Handle 0Comment

The nonprofit group OMB Watch is a terrific resource for learning about and monitoring the inner workings of the government. Their mission is “to increase government transparency and accountability; to ensure sound, equitable regulatory and budgetary processes and policies; and to protect and promote active citizen participation in our democracy.” Over the years, I’ve had many occasions to appreciate how they track and explain the easy-to-overlook steps in the regulatory process that profoundly affect public health.

OMB Watch has just launched a new website, and I’m particularly excited to see that they’ve combined their former blogs – Reg Watch, the Budget Blog, and Advocacy Blog – into a single blog called The Fine Print. (Regular readers will probably recognize Reg Watch from its frequent appearances in the Friday Blog Roundup.) Here are a few of the posts you’ll find there:

  • Congress takes on toxics … again: Congressman Frank Pallone has introduced a bill to strengthen the Toxics Release Inventory, which the Bush administration weakened with a 2006 rule.
  • House Passes Bill to Improve Information Sharing with First Responders: The House passes legislation that would make it easier for all levels of government to access information generated by the Department of Homeland Security about security and terrorism.
  • GAO Report Highlights High-Risk Areas: A new report from the Government Accountability Office identifies three new high-risk areas that are either susceptible to high levels of waste, fraud, and abuse or in need of transformational change to achieve greater efficiency, effectiveness, and accountability.

Visit OMB Watch’s new website for more of their new look and content.

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