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Impact
Untangling Conflicts of Interest at a Broken Agency
Following 15 years of POGO raising concerns about conflicts of mission
at the Minerals Management Service (MMS), the Interior Department agency
responsible for oversight of offshore drilling, the executive branch
adopted reforms championed by POGO to divide
MMS into separate bureaus with strengthened ethics rules.
Shedding
Light on Contractor Responsibility Information
POGO has
been at the forefront of the fight for public access to information in
the Federal Awardee Performance and Integrity Information System
(FAPIIS), the government’s new database containing contractor
responsibility information. In July 2010, Congress signed into a law a provision requiring information
in FAPIIS to be available to the public online. POGO also updated its
own database, the Federal Contractor
Misconduct Database (FCMD), upon which FAPIIS is modeled.
Pushing Congress to Add Accountability Measures to
Financial Reform
POGO played a pivotal role in strengthening the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and
Consumer Protection Act by working with Congress to add
whistleblower protections for financial industry employees; rewards and
protections for whistleblowers who provide tips to financial regulators;
a Government Accountability Office (GAO) audit of the Federal Reserve;
consumer financial protections; and greater independence for Inspectors
General at financial regulatory agencies. These transparency and
accountability measures will strengthen the financial regulatory system
and help avert another financial meltdown.
Bringing
More Openness to Executive Branch Agencies
With
the December 2009 release of the Open Government Directive—the Obama
Administration effort to bring increased transparency to the executive
branch—agencies have been required to undertake a variety of open
government initiatives. As part of an effort spearheaded by
OpenTheGovernment.org, POGO has been monitoring agency progress on these
initiatives, and has worked with agencies to bring about improved
compliance with the Open Government Directive as they move forward with
their Open Government Plans.
Closing Secrecy Loophole
in Financial Regulatory Reform Legislation
POGO led
the charge in an effort to strike language from the Dodd-Frank Wall
Act that had given the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC)
sweeping new powers to hide its records from public scrutiny. President
Obama signed a bill to repeal this portion of the financial regulatory
reform legislation in October, 2010.
Organizing
and Presenting Second Annual Whistleblower Film Series
Our second Whistleblower
Film Series, part of the 10th annual DC Labor FilmFest, showcased
films that explore the valuable role of whistleblowers at a critical
time in the effort to restore and modernize protections for federal
government employees. The 2010 Series featured the Washington, D.C.,
premiere of Fair Game and two screenings of The Informant!
Facilitating Monthly Oversight Training Series on the Hill
POGO's Congressional Oversight Training
Series (COTS) continues to spark idea exchange, encourage
collaboration, and hone the investigative skills of congressional
staffers from both sides of the aisle.
Exploring
Solutions for the Nuclear Weapons Complex
In
September 2010 POGO released a report
on modernizing the nuclear weapons complex. POGO concluded that by
downblending highly enriched uranium—reducing the enrichment
levels of its uranium from 80-90 percent to under percent—the U.S. can
increase national security and generate up to $23 billion in revenue for
the Treasury.
Spurring Review of Inspector General
Hotlines
Following our 2009 investigation into the
Inspector General (IG) system, POGO urged the IG community to conduct a
review of its whistleblower hotlines, a key avenue for intake of
whistleblower tips. In response, the Council of Inspectors General on
Integrity and Efficiency (CIGIE) released Recommended Practices of
Office of Inspector General Hotlines, a report highlighting best
practices for hotlines from around the IG community.
Sparking
Other Investigations
POGO’s work also motivated IG offices
to open other investigations: the Department of the Interior’s IG began
an investigation into ethics at the Bureau of Land Management, and the
Department of Health and Human Services IG reopened an investigation
into allegations of whistleblower retaliation at the Food and Drug
Administration.
Testifying on Capitol Hill
POGO testified five times in 2010 on Capitol Hill:
Helpful links:
