WASHINGTON - The ranks are growing of ordinary Americans who are demanding transparency in campaign spending by politicians at all levels of government, and now a bill on the subject with a good chance of passing has been introduced in the U.S. Senate.
Although the House has required electronic filing of campaign finance reports for years, in the Senate it's just voluntary, and so far only 16 senators do it. Montana Democrat Jon Tester, the lead sponsor of a bill to require senators to file that way, said it's a move whose time has come.
"It's a pretty simple bill. It just brings the Senate into the 21st century by requiring senators to file all their election reports electronically with the Federal Election Commission," Tester said. "It adds for better transparency, it saves money, and it gives people better access to really knowing what's going on in Washington, D.C."
More than two dozen senators are sponsoring the bipartisan bill.
According to Viveca Novak, editorial director at the Center for Responsive Politics, an organization that has been promoting e-filing for years, paper filing costs taxpayers money to have the information put online. She said the delays that causes can be crucial as an election nears, when voters need to know as much as possible about who's backing candidates.
"It's a circular and wasteful system, and it also leads to considerable delay in the availability to the public of the information," Novak declared.
Similar bills have been introduced every year since 2000, but supporters are hoping, with growing support inside and outside of the Senate, that 2014 will bring success.
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Federal lawmakers will debate a number of bills this fall designed to improve hiring, retention and benefits for government workers.
Their proposals come as agencies and departments struggle with understaffing. Plus, gaps in knowledge or skills among their employees.
Max Stier, president and CEO of the Partnership for Public Service, said one issue is a lack of young people in government positions.
"Right now, it's 7% of the workforce or thereabouts is under the age of 30 in the federal government," said Stier. "That number drops to closer to 4% in the technology area."
Congress is expected to consider changes to the federal hiring process - which currently takes more than double the time of the private sector.
A 2% pay bump could also be on the horizon, as well as expanding paid leave for reserve military members.
Virginia politicians have often been a voice for federal workers given the Commonwealth's high number of government employees.
Rep. Abigail Spanberger - D-Glen Allen - is leading the charge to increase social security benefits for millions of Americans, including many current or former public servants.
Stier said beyond adding incentives to hire and retain talent, the federal government needs to improve internal practices - starting at the leadership level.
Internal communication pipelines, technology and customer service centers are often outdated, which ultimately harms the public.
"Americans want a government that's not political," said Stier. "They want a government that's serving them better. They want the expertise that the system is supposed to be based on, but they don't think they're getting that in most instances, and that lack of trust leads to sometimes a buy-in for bad solutions."
Former President Donald Trump has proposed eliminating or altering thousands of government positions if he wins this November.
Another likely debate this fall will be over remote work. Some lawmakers want federal employees to spend more time in the office rather than working from home.
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A new study showed women running for public office in Arizona and around the country often face disadvantages, especially in securing campaign dollars.
The Center for American Women and Politics said historically, women have been unable to match their male counterparts' personal financial resources and do not receive the same noteworthy financial contributions from donors.
Kira Sanbonmatsu, senior scholar at the Center for American Women in Politics, said it affects the number of women elected to office, leading to a lack of representation in politics. She pointed out Arizona is a bit of an exception, as it is one of a few states where women legislators are well established.
"We are seeing that women are running in large numbers for the legislature, and this is, of course, a state where women have done well," Sanbonmatsu observed. "Arizona ranks second nationally for women state legislative representation."
Women are about 50% of representation in the Arizona Legislature, with 29 House seats and 16 Senate seats. This November, Arizona voters will elect nine U.S. House members. They'll also fill one U.S. Senate seat with either Rep. Ruben Gallego, D-Ariz., or Republican Kari Lake. Data show Gallego has raised almost $29 million and Lake almost $8.5 million.
Sanbonmatsu noted men are more likely to be providing the funds "fueling" state candidates, meaning there is also a lack of female representation among donors. Female candidates are raising a higher portion of funds from small contributors, of $200 or less. The average proportion of small contributions for congressional challengers is highest for Democratic women at 34%, followed by Democratic men at 22% and then by Republican men at 21%.
"We don't often think about giving to politics as an important part of participation," Sanbonmatsu acknowledged. "Women 'outvote' men, but what people don't appreciate as much is that men are 'out-giving' women in terms of funds."
She added it has an effect on whose voices are heard at the state level. She added the Center hopes the data will help "demystify" the campaign-finance space, for the public and for women candidates.
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Far removed from the nation's capital, voters in rural states like North Dakota are sharing their thoughts about a plan to hold the U.S. Supreme Court more accountable.
The nation's high court has come under intense scrutiny amid ethics scandals and decisions to overturn a number of long-standing precedents. On Monday, President Joe Biden urged Congress to impose term limits for justices, as well as a binding code of conduct.
Jessica Dryer, a voter in Rolla, agreed changes are needed. She cited her dissatisfaction with the court revoking the constitutional right to an abortion and ruling in favor of Donald Trump in the presidential immunity case.
"I think our Supreme Court in general has just become way too political," Dryer asserted. "The law should be about the people, and not about a political party."
Biden's plan also calls for a constitutional amendment to reverse the recent opinion providing broad presidential immunity from criminal charges tied to official actions. While she welcomes reform efforts, Dryer noted she is torn about term limits, noting there is still potential value from wisdom shared by those with a long service history. Public polling has shown strong support for court reforms but analysts say Biden's plan likely will not be approved by a divided Congress with an election looming.
The White House argued the new ethics code is needed after some justices in the court's conservative wing did not disclose luxury trips paid for by influential donors.
Sharon Larsen, a voter in Williston, said she is not against making changes but would rather see policymakers address their own political issues first and then come together on a bipartisan reform plan.
"The representatives, they certainly aren't helping keep the country stable," Larsen pointed out.
Despite a souring public opinion of the Supreme Court, Larsen still has enough confidence in justices to carry out their constitutional duties. She feels Biden's plan is a power move right before the election. Vice President Kamala Harris, now the presumptive Democratic nominee for president, expressed support for the proposal.
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