LegiStorm: Transparency's Sidekick

In our continuing quest to be as comprehensive as possible, we have added more historical congressional staff salary data to our site.

We have now included salaries from the six-month period from Oct. 1, 2001-March 31, 2002 in the Senate, as well as House data from July 1, 2001-Sept. 30, 2001.

In addition, the second quarter of 2008 for the House was released a few weeks ago in book form and we are busy getting that into digital form. We are at least two weeks away from completing that at this point. Since the Senate releases data in six-month blocks, there will be no comparable release of new Senate data for another quarter.

Like many web sites, we try to keep tabs on how people are using our site. We are usually pleased to see mention of us, even if we don't always agree with the way our site's data is used. Accountability can be messy sometimes and that means that dull-witted analyses often appear alongside sharp insights in the public arena.

But this new age of blogging can also lead to some downright irresponsible claims about members of Congress and their staff. And whenever congressional aides are mentioned in news stories, LegiStorm is usually cited as a source, at least for salary and other public record data we have.

This past weekend, a story has been circulating on the web about a member of Congress and a staffer. We won't mention who because the story was so lacking in any indicia of truthfulness that as far as we can tell, it was made up from whole cloth.

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Over the last few days, a tempest has been brewing over an allegation made by Scripps Howard columnist Deroy Murdock that Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) pays less to women than he does to men in his Senate office. All the stories have accurately cited LegiStorm as the source for the raw data.

Naturally, the allegation has lit up the conservative blogosphere and made its way onto television, including ABC's "This Week with George Stephanopoulos".

But along the way, a few commentators have taken liberty with the facts about LegiStorm's role so we wanted to clear that up. We carry the data and are happy to be the source for anyone, liberal or conservative, who wants to do analysis of that data. That's what it's there for - to provide openess in government and spark debate. 

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The Obama campaign today released vice-presidential candidate Sen. Joe Biden's tax returns for the past 10 years, and LegiStorm has them available here.

The two presidential candidates, Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) and Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.), released their own tax returns during the primary campaign, which can be seen here and here.

Although LegiStorm remains focused on matters related to Capitol Hill rather than the White House, we have included these tax returns to provide additional information to the Personal Financial Disclosures we already have for these candidates in their capacity as U.S. Senators.

Because of the public interest regarding the presidential candidates, we have also included more historical financial disclosure data for both the candidates and their staff.

LegiStorm's staff salary information has been become the subject of a heated congressional campaign in Indiana's 9th District. The race is pitting incumbent Democratic Rep. Baron Hill against Republican Mike Sodrel, who defeated Hill for the post in 2004.

Hill alleges Sodrel's office did not co-operate after Hill's 2006 victory, making Hill's transition back into Congress difficult. Sodrel's campaign has countered by pointing out Hill raised his staff salaries about 84 percent after his defeat in 2004.

Hill paid his staff a total of $181,943 in the third quarter of 2004. The number jumped to $334,005 in the fourth quarter despite adding only one person to the staff.

You can see all of the salaries paid by Hill here. Sodrel's staff salaries are here.

Once again, a member of Congress is in trouble for filing false financial disclosures.

Rep. Charles Rangel (D-N.Y.) announced Monday he will repay back taxes on unreported income he received from a rental property in the Dominican Republic - income he also did not report as required on his Personal Financial Disclosures.

In Rangel's most recent financial disclosure, he lists the villa in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic, as an asset worth between $250,001 and $500,000, with no rental income. However, it has recently become known the Congressman earned about $75,000 in income from the property since 1988.

Yesterday's indictment of Kevin Ring, a former legislative director to Rep. John Doolittle (R-Calif.) and colleague of disgraced superlobbyist Jack Abramoff, is further evidence of the need for accurate financial disclosures by members of Congress and their top aides.

The 10-count indictment alleges that Ring made false statements about receiving a $135,000 kickback himself, as well as showering Doolittle and others with illegal gifts. Prosecutors say that congressional officials were filing false financial disclosures regarding these gifts because doing so would have been admitting to receiving illegal gifts.

The indictment says that Ring provided legislative and executive branch officials with gifts in exchange for official actions. They include all-expenses-paid domestic and international trael, fundraising assistance, meals, drinks, golf, sports tickets and employment opportunities to spouses, including Doolittle's wife.

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