News

Mar. 6, 2012 - Congress continues to work on a reauthorization bill for surface transportation programs such as roads, bridges, railroads, and public transit. Current authorization is set to expire on March 31, a date which has become the unofficial deadline for the bill.

Mar. 1, 2012 - The U.S. House of Representatives on Wednesday passed HR 1837, a bill that would address certain water-related concerns on the San Joaquin River in California's Central Valley.Interest groups that support this bill (Agricultural chemicals (fertilizers & pesticides); Cotton; Farm bureaus; Farm organizations & cooperatives; Farmers, crop unspecified; Livestock; Poultry & eggs; Vegetables, fruits and tree nut) gave 9.2 times as much on average to California House members who voted 'YES' ($26,324) as they gave to California House members who voted 'NO' ($2,875).Interest groups that oppose this bill (Environmental policy; Fisheries & wildlife; Fishing) gave nearly 2 times as much on average to California House members who voted 'NO' ($6,013) as they gave to California House members who voted 'YES' ($3,043).

Feb. 20, 2012 - With the current "Highway bill" set to expire on March 31, Congress continues to work on a long-term transportation package designed to allocate funds for infrastructure projects such as roads, bridges, ports, and public transit systems. The House GOP leadership has proposed using revenues from new oil & gas drilling projects both offshore and in the ANWR Wildlife Refuge in Alaska to help cover the funding gap for their 5 year plan. The bill, known as the PIONEERS Act, is supported by the American Petroleum Institute, the American Public Gas Association, the Association of Oil Pipe Lines, the Independent Petroleum Association of America, the Interstate Oil & Gas Compact Commission, the Natural Gas Supply Association, and others such as ExxonMobil and BP.Major (multinational) oil & gas producers, Oil & Gas, Independent oil & gas producers, Petroleum refining & marketing, Oilfield service, equipment & exploration, Natural Gas transmission & distribution, Gasoline service stations, and Fuel oil dealers, all of which supported the bill, gave 7.6 times as much to House members who voted 'YES' ($44,433) as they gave to House members who voted 'NO' ($5,840).

Feb. 21, 2012 - Following a recent ruling by the U.S. Supreme Court, any entity, be it an individual, union, or company, is now able to make unlimited contributions to so-called Super PACs to specifically advocate for or against federal candidates as long as they do not explicitly coordinate with those candidates' campaigns. MapLight has conducted an analysis of the nearly $100 million in contributions made to Super PACs in 2011, broken down by state.To read the full analysis click here.