2Day in #OpenGov 8/8/2012

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Policy Intern Adeeb Sahar wrote this post.

Here is your serving of today’s transparency-related news items, congressional committee hearings, transparency-related bills introduced in Congress, and local events involving open government.

NEWS ROUNDUP:

Government

  • South Dakota attempts open government make-over with new task force: The state will be implementing a new 33-member task force, made up of government officials, media persons, and third-party representatives, to propose legislation, recommend changes, examine cases of open-records, handle complaints, and determine exceptions to record transparency. (Guidon)
  • Christie hints at Port Authority transparency reforms: Gov. Chris Christie (NJ-D) suggests he might approve transparency reforms at the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey in exchange for extending the veto power he already wields over the agency to smaller, intrastate authorities as well. (NJ.com)
  • Corbett appeals disclosure of government official contact information: The Pennsylvania governor is using legal resources to fight the release of basic information, appealing rulings by the state’s Office of Open Records that require employees’ office phone numbers and emails to be made available to the public. (Philly.com)
  • State ethics commissions lack resources to enforce ethics laws: State ethics commissions nationwide are understaffed and underfunded, resulting in failing grades from the State Integrity Investigation for preventing and investigating ethics violations. (State Integrity Investigation)

State/Local

  • District US Attorney’s budget no longer secret: The once-secret $72.9 million budget of the District’s US Attorney’s Office is now publicly disclosed due to the office’s response to a FOIA request filed by The Washington Post. (The Washington Post)
  • Maryland bill improves public access to government information: Montgomery County councilmember Hans Riemer has proposed legislation to revise the Maryland Public Information Act to require local agencies to publish information that is approved for public release on government websites. (Maryland Community News Online)

RELEVANT BILLS INTRODUCED:

  • None

REST OF THE WEEK:

  • None

JOB OPPORTUNITIES:

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