TOP STORIES Archives - Page 8 of 11 - Checks and Balances Project

Metropolitan Transit Authority Records Show Improper Use of Counter-Terrorism Trademark by Anti-Home Sharing Group

2017-05-4

ShareBetter failed to obtain permission to use “See Something, Say Something” Anyone who has ridden a bus, subway or railroad in the U.S. has probably seen a sign warning, “If You See Something, Say Something.” Trademarked by the New York City Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) and licensed to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS), the… Read more »

Penn State Professor O’Neill Hired by Hotel Lobby for Pay-to-Play Research

2017-04-18

New documents uncovered by Checks and Balances Project show that Penn State Professor John W. O’Neill has peddled hotel-industry talking points as scholarship while failing to disclose his longstanding, commercial relationships.

A Year Later, Coast Guard Provides Emails Regarding Troubled Offshore Wind Study

2017-03-22

The U.S. Coast Guard has ended its year-long slow walk on filling requests for basic public records regarding a lobbyist-driven offshore wind energy study known as the Atlantic Coast Port Access Route Study (ACPARS).

Inquiries to New York Union Leader Peter Ward Go Unanswered

2017-03-15

We emailed a letter directly to Mr. Ward asking about these inconsistencies, but received no reply. On March 10, we sent the letter again and followed up by phone with Mr. Ward’s executive assistant to make sure the letter was not overlooked.

Anonymous Tip from Penn State: “There is a bigger story here.”

2017-01-23

In late December, we received an anonymous tip in the mail from a reader about our ongoing inquiry into possible ethics violations by Penn State Professor John W. O’Neill of the School of Hospitality Management, who has produced research highly favorable to the hotel lobby..

Hotel Union Leader’s Database Undercuts Claim of Organizing Success

2017-01-13

Despite the hotel building boom and surging tourism in New York City, especially outside of Manhattan, Ward has emerged as the most prominent leader of efforts to block the growth of home sharing, an affordable, sustainable form of lodging.

Was NYC Council Member Rosenthal’s Toronto Trip Worth More Than a Phone Call?

2016-12-2

During the week of October 24, 2016, Ms. Rosenthal traveled to Toronto at the behest of the “concerned citizens” group known as Fairbnb.

Hotel Lobby President Katherine Lugar Refuses to Discuss Model Legislation to Tax Home Sharers

2016-11-21

C&BP Executive Director’s Questions Rebuffed at AH&LA Board Meeting. We traveled to New York City last week to pose some important questions directly to Katherine Lugar, the leader of the hotel lobby, about efforts to penalize the sustainable, home sharing economy. During a break at the American Hotel & Lodging Association’s (AH&LA) board meeting at… Read more »

Update: Federal Agency to Mediate Coast Guard’s Public Records Evasion

2016-11-3

The federal government’s Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) ombudsman, the Office of Government Information Services (OGIS), has agreed to mediate Checks and Balances Project’s complaint that the U.S. Coast Guard has refused to provide lawful, taxpayer-funded public records. Since February, we have been asking the Coast Guard to answer basic questions about its offshore… Read more »

Welfare Checks to Hotel Lobby Totaled $3.6 Billion Since 2008

2016-11-2

Luxury Hotels Got Especially Large Amounts When industries mature, they use expanding profits to grow their lobbying influence and obtain not just favorable policies, but government largess in a variety of forms. In our newly launched look into the hotel industry’s influence peddling, we’re quickly finding this industry is following the path worn by the… Read more »

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