Schwartz on Earmarks

From "Local Dems favor reforms for earmarks," by Jenna Portnoy, The Intelligencer 3/21:

[Rep. Allyson] Schwartz asks organizations seeking funding to fill out an appropriations request form. The form includes a note informing requestors that her office “reserves the right to make your appropriations request public.”

“The congresswoman has been very enthused by the steps Speaker (Nancy) Pelosi and others have taken to make the earmark process as transparent as possible,” said Schwartz spokeswoman Rachel Magnuson. “It’s very important for us to have this be a very transparent process, and in late March, early April there will be very detailed information that we will put out.”

For the first time this year, Schwartz joins nearly 100 other House and Senate lawmakers who have pledged to release their earmark requests early or not request any earmarks at all. Schwartz’s Republican opponent Marina Kats said she would also release her requests.

Congressman Patrick Murphy says he will release earmark requests after he knows which ones will be funded.