National News

• The Senate won’t move into the 21st century by agreeing to electronically file their campaign finance reports, so the FEC is trying to speed up the process of converting their paper filings into digital data via a contract with Captricity, a firm that worked out a faster way to convert forms to data. (E Pluribus Unum)
• More than 50 members of Congress will be voluntarily retired come next January and many of them are sitting on significant campaign treasure chests. These no-longer candidates are allowed to send their money to their party or allies, but a number of them have refused to open their checkbooks. (National Journal)
• Tech entrepreneurs are reaching deep into their pockets to support election reform efforts, which has some observers scratching their heads. (National Journal)

International

• Understanding the cost of access to scientific research and journals is difficult. The system is essentially opaque. (Open Knowledge)

State and Local News

• Houston, Texas is the latest city to move forward with an open data policy. Mayor Annise Parker cited transparency, citizen engagement, and innovation as reasons for adopting the policy. (Government Executive)
• Los Angeles is releasing data on Los Angeles Fire Department response times. Mayor Eric Garcetti announced his hopes to cut significant time off of numbers that he said “stunk”. (Government Technology)
• California’s most tech savvy candidate this election year may be a Republican running for Secretary of State. (Tech President)

Events This Week

• Governance, Corruption, and Rule of Law Working Group. Society for International Development. Tues. 10/28. 1:30 – 3:30 pm. 1828 L Street NW, Suite 300, Washington, DC.
• Challenges for Journalism in Latin America. Freedom House. Wed. 10/29. 12:00 – 1:30 pm. 1301 Connecticut Ave NW, #400, Conference Room 1301, Washington, DC.
• OGIS at Five. Newseum Institute and OpenTheGovernment.org. Fri. 10/31. Newseum, Knight Conference Center, 555 Pennsylvania Ave NW, Washington, DC.

Do you want to track transparency news? You can follow the progress of relevant bills, court cases, and regulations using Scout. You can also get Today in #OpenGov sent directly to your preferred news reader. If you would like suggest an event, please email mrumsey@sunlightfoundation.com by 7 am on the Monday prior to the event.