For the past several years we have been fighting to maintain funding for online transparency programs that the federal government supports through its E-gov fund. 2013 is no different. The fund supports important initiatives, including the IT Dashboard, Performance.gov, and more, that have been shown to improve government efficiency and accountability, saving at least $3 billion. In addition to helping the government save money, these technologies have been a boon to the private sector, creating jobs and releasing valuable information. President Obama requested $20.15 million for the E-gov fund in his FY 2014 budget request, but Congress is considering combining the fund with another fund and cutting its budget. This Wednesday, the House Appropriations Committee is going to mark up the FY 2014 Financial Services and General Government Appropriations bill that controls the E-gov fund's fate. If they choose to fully fund the E-gov fund, Congress will be making a smart investment in technology and transparency. We happily signed on to three letters to leaders of the House and Senate committees with the power to pay for the E-gov fund urging them to fully invest and allow these programs to thrive. You can find one, sent to the chair and ranking member of the Appropriations committee, here. The others, sent to relevant subcommittee chairmen in the House and Senate are embedded below.
Continue readingA Sunshine Week Call for Greater Transparency
As part of Sunshine week, I had the opportunity to testify at a House Oversight and Government Reform Committee hearing to share a few of Sunlight's ideas about making the executive branch more transparent. Video and text of my opening statement are below. It almost goes without saying that we're very interested in the transparency bills the Oversight Committee will be marking up this Wednesday.
Is E-Gov Back? Approps Bill’s Partial Funding Fix for 2012
Open government may have won a round, with some of the money that was cut in the previous Congress year’s budget*... View Article
Continue readingCrunch Time in Senate for Flagship Transparency Programs
The amount of money available for flagship transparency programs and how they will be funded is again the subject of... View Article
Continue readingData.gov to Remain a Top Priority
Major open government initiatives, namely Data.gov, Performance.gov, and USAspending.gov, are likely to remain top priorities for the E-Government fund, according... View Article
Continue readingE-Gov Funding Up for Consideration by Senate Approps on Wednesday
This Wednesday, the Senate Appropriations Committee will markup legislation that appropriates funding for the electronic government fund. The e-gov fund... View Article
Continue readingDraft H. Appropriations Bill Would Slightly Increase E-Gov Fund
House Appropriators released draft legislation [PDF] on Wednesday that appears to increase funding levels for the Electronic Government Fund, the... View Article
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