Keep reading for today’s look at #OpenGov news, events, and analysis, including a military grade lobbying effort, teaching OAS members about transparency, and balancing bike share.   

National News

• An Executive Order, 12333, issued by President Reagan is one of the foundational documents of the current surveillance system. Some say that it allows a wide ranging and unconstitutional amount of data collection. (Ars Technica)
• Last year stories emerged about an Iowa State Senator that was paid by Ron Paul’s Presidential campaign to switch his endorsement from Michelle Bachmann to Paul. Kent Sorenson denied the allegations at the time, both in public and in court. But this week, he pleaded guilty to accepting money from both campaigns and eventually switching sides when Paul offered him a better deal. (Washington Post)
• The tragic events in Ferguson, Missouri publicized the military grade equipment being used in many police departments across the country. Now, police associations are gearing up for a major lobbying fight to save their access to military surplus like grenade launchers, automatic weapons, and heavily armored vehicles. (The Hill)

International News

• The Organization of American States is launching a virtual class to teach more than 200 officials from the region “strategies for open government in the Americas”. (NFOIC)

State and Local News

• Email retention practices in Pennsylvania have advocates and archivists worried that seemingly innocuous, but potentially historically relevant emails may be deleted without a second thought. Currently, employees are encouraged to clean up their emails on a regular basis and archives are only kept for 5 days, putting decisions about the future value of these records in the hands of those that originally created them rather than an impartial professional. (Government Technology)
• Bike share systems are becoming popular in cities around the world. Making sure that users can access and park bikes when they want to is creating some interesting problems for mathematicians, who are working up algorithms to ensure that systems are properly balanced, ensuring customer satisfaction and saving operators time and money. (Government Executive)

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