Every week I climb into the depths of the local political blogosphere to find the Sunlight. I use this series to highlight local blogs that do a great job of covering local, state, and congressional political news.  This week I have highlights from Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Utah, and Hawaii.

Loaded Orygun has an interesting post on how to improve Oregon’s Freedom of Information laws. The problem with current Oregon public records law is a loophole that doesn’t specify how long an agency has to take to give the documents up. This seems like an easy fix.  There is no reason to string people along unless they have something to hide.

In Pennsylvania, Above Average Jane has been looking into some missing reports on the FEC.gov site. It seems some reports that were available through electronic filing are now only available through paper filing.

Rhode Island’s 12^th has a great list of questions to ask about your local government Web site. These are great ways to access how good a town Web site also check out Sunshine Reviews Ten Point Check list.

In Utah, The World According to Me has tips on how to effectively contact your elected official.  I think these are excellent tips that would help constituents and legislators communicate better. 

In Hawaii, iLind.net has a fascinating post on the Hawaii Freedom of Information movement and how Hawaii is trying to change the way government responds to request. He also tells a moving story about visiting his dad.