The website GovTrack.us has named Montana Sen. Jon Tester as the Senate’s strongest supporter of government transparency issues. According to Tester’s report card on the site, the Democrat supports all eight Senate transparency-related bills GovTrack has identified in the current congressional session. Tester either introduced or supported the following bills: Senate Campaign Disclosure Parity Act… Continue reading Tester ranked high for transparency
Tag: Jon Tester
Senators ask FCC to reform rural broadband investment rules
A group of 26 U.S. Senators, including both from Montana, have signed on to a letter to the chairman of the Federal Communications Commission asking him to reform the way that Universal Service Fund support is distributed. The USF provides support to telecommunications companies to build broadband and other networks in hard-to-reach areas, such as… Continue reading Senators ask FCC to reform rural broadband investment rules
Senate approves online sales tax bill, Montana reps unanimous against it
The push is on in Washington to enact an Internet sales tax. Yesterday, the Senate voted 69-27 in favor of the [Marketplace Fairness Act][1]. The bill would give states the authority to force online retailers to collect appropriate state sales taxes on all transactions. Right now, online retailers don’t have to collect state sales taxes… Continue reading Senate approves online sales tax bill, Montana reps unanimous against it
Parody Twitter accounts surface in Rehberg-Tester senate race
It would appear that the mudslingers and satirists in the race for Montana’s sole senate seat are already hard at work creating parody Twitter accounts.
Tester appeals to FCC chairman on behalf of rural broadband
Montana Sen. Jon Tester has sent a letter to FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski, asking that plans for encouraging broadband growth in America do not harm programs that are already in place specifically to help rural areas. He is concerned primarily with the Universal Service Fund, which the Montana Democrat says has “a long history of… Continue reading Tester appeals to FCC chairman on behalf of rural broadband
Critics say Tester’s government transparency bill is too vague
Sen. Jon Tester’s government transparency bill, the Public Online Information Act of 2010, is drawing some criticism from lobbyists for government contractors and from some transparency advocates, writes Aliya Sternstein at NextGov.
A deeper reading of Tester’s Public Online Information Act of 2010
Sen. Jon Tester’s Public Online Information Act of 2010 has the potential to make a heck of a lot of government records available for free online, but in spots the text of the bill could be interpreted in a few ways.
Tester introduces bill to put more public records online
Sen. Jon Tester, D-Mont., has introduced a bill before the U.S. Senate that would require government agencies to publish all their public records online, the Associated Press reports. The Public Online Information Act (PDF) would put documents into a large, searchable government database where anyone with Internet access could see them, the Billings Gazette said.… Continue reading Tester introduces bill to put more public records online