Still, it seems no Republican wants to fess up to placing the nearly monthlong hold on a bill that would make it easier for the public and the media to access Senate campaign finance reports, which currently are filed on paper, unlike House reports, which must be filed electronically.

Curiously, the nonpartisan Sunlight Foundation, along with help from some other watchdog groups and liberal blogs, last month got constituents and other concerned citizens to ask all 100 Senators whether they were the one with a hold on the bill. The unanimous answer was, "Not me."

Which leads to the question: Who's been lying?

"It's hard for me to imagine that a Senator lied outright to a constituent, but it's not hard for me to imagine that a Senator would play word games," said Sunlight Foundation Executive Director Ellen Miller, whose group has had success in the past at ferreting out anonymous holders.