Today in #OpenGov 1/31/2014

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Keep reading for today’s look at #OpenGov news, events and analysis including Google Glass for transparency, education data from the world bank, and a slow appointment process in New York.  series-opengov-today

National News

  • Today is the final day for PACs, political committees, and super PACs to file their final 2013 reports. Donation’s won’t be at quite the levels they’ll reach during the 2014 election season, but these organizations spent 2013 laying the groundwork for this year. (POLITICO)
  • Exelon, an energy giant, voluntarily discloses its donations to politically active nonprofits. It doesn’t necessarily always get it right the first time, as evidenced by some amended reports which indicate the company spent less than half of the $26 million they originally reported. (Public Integrity)
  • Google Glass and other wearable tech has seemingly endless potential applications, including putting a transparent government right in front of your eyes. A new Glass app, “augmented accountability,” was created as a proof of concept to show how easily Glass could share government information with a user as they go about their daily life. (E Pluribus Unum)

International News

  • Smartphones and the internet aren’t wide spread in rural Uganda, but data is still being used in innovative ways to stir public debate. TRAC FM, a radio station and SMS based polling platform has a wide reach. (Tech President)
  • Last week the world bank launched an open data portal dedicated to collecting and sharing education information from around the world. So far the platform includes over 100 countries. (Tech President)

State and Local News

  • New York Mayor Bill de Blasio has a good track record on open government issues. But, nearly a month into his new administration and he hasn’t appointed a records officer to oversee public information requests. (New York Post)
  • Critics of Hawaii’s lobbyist disclosure regime argue that it is one of the slowest and least robust in the country. New legislation aims to require lobbyists to report more information about their expenses and activities.  (Washington Times/AP)

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