The Advisory Committee on Transparency recently hosted an engaging discussion on surveillance transparency on Capitol Hill. Dig deeper by reading some of the headlines that it spawned here.
Continue readingEvent: Helping the 114th Congress build a more transparent government
On Dec. 11, the Advisory Committee on Transparency and the Sunlight Foundation will host a panel of experts and advocates from across the political spectrum to discuss ideas for reforms and strategies for success during the 114th Congress.
Continue readingEvent: Bringing Law into the Light
Join the Advisory Committee on Transparency on Monday, September 22 at the Rayburn House Office to discuss "secret laws" and ways to boost the public's ability to access and understand them.
Continue readingPanel discussion: A 21st century Freedom of Information Act
Join us on Wednesday, March 19 from 2:00 - 3:30 p.m. in room 2203 of the Rayburn House Office Building for a panel discussion on the future of FOIA.
Continue readingThe DATA Act and Beyond: An Event Exploring Government Spending Transparency
We are excited to announce "Government Spending Transparency: The Data Act and Beyond," which will take place on Monday, December 16, 2013 at 2:00 p.m. in Room 2203 of the Rayburn House Office Building. You can RSVP here.
Continue readingIdeas to Bring Influence Out of the Shadows
This week has been filled with news about the influence industry. From high profile staffers moving through the revolving door, to Supreme Court consideration of another attempt to deregulate campaign finance, to outrage over the new Obama affiliated group, political influence is pervasive. Luckily, there are always groups thinking about ways to shed light on this influence. At a recent Advisory Committee on Transparency event three groups presented ideas to shed light on lobbyists and nonprofit groups that attempt to influence the political process.
Continue readingFOIA Friday
This week, the Supreme Court heard arguments in a unique case revolving around how states deal with people and businesses from outside their borders when responding to Freedom of Information requests. The case tackles some of the different ways that each individual state administers their Freedom of Information Act, but it got me thinking about ways the the Federal level FOIA could be improved. Luckily, we heard three compelling presentations on this very topic at the most recent Advisory Committee on Transparency event. The talks dealt with limiting and defining exemptions as well as proactively releasing more information without waiting for a FOI request to be made. Click read more to see the videos!
Continue readingSharing Some Ideas to Improve Congressional Operations
On January 30th the House of Representatives' Bulk Data Task Force held its second public meeting to outline its efforts and hear from interested members of the public. Yesterday, Daniel Schuman recapped the meeting and discussed some of the many excellent steps the task force has taken, and is planning to take, to make House operations more open. Recently, the House has shown a deep commitment to making its operations open and accessible to the citizens that it serves. But, there can always be room for improvement. At the recent Advisory Committee on Transparency event three speakers presented ideas that, they argued, would improve congressional operations and make the Legislative branch more effective and transparent.
Continue readingThree Ideas to Open the Executive Branch
Tonight, President Obama will deliver the State of the Union Address to Congress. He is expected to urge the Legislative branch to take action on guns, immigration, climate change and a laundry list of other issues. In order to make progress on the major questions of the day, the President will have to negotiate and compromise with Congress. But, that doesn't mean he can't make progress through other means. A few weeks ago, the Advisory Committee on Transparency heard three ideas that President Obama could consider implementing right away to make the Executive branch more open and transparent. Read on for the videos.
Continue readingMore Ideas For Member Office Transparency
Last month Daniel Schuman shared five ideas that members of Congress can implement to make their offices more open and... View Article
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