It's 2013, and the Library of Congress seems to think releasing public data about Congress is a risk to the public.
The Library of Congress is in charge of [THOMAS.gov](http://thomas.loc.gov/), and its successor [Congress.gov](http://congress.gov). These sites publish some of the most fundamental information about Congress — the history and status of bills. Whether it's immigration law or SOPA, patent reform or Obamacare, the Library of Congress will tell you: *What is Congress working on? Who's working on it? When did that happen?*
Except they won't let you download that information.
Committee on House Administration Supports Public’s Right to Gov’t Docs
The influential Committee on House Administration released a letter yesterday that endorsed the principle that “the documents of our democracy... View Article
Continue readingIs the GPO a Digital Printer or a Digital Publisher?
The tension between the Government Printing Office's traditional role as a printing operation and its future as a publisher of digital government information was apparent at a meeting of the House Appropriations Committee's Legislative Branch Subcommittee last week. In her testimony, acting Public Printer Davita Vance-Cooks stressed the GPO's efforts to transition to the digital age and acknowledged that the agency's role has evolved to that of a publishing operation. Unfortunately, the GPO has often failed to take steps that would allow it to fully embrace that role and ensure its future as an essential source of information.
Continue readingKeeping GPO’s Data Free
The Government Printing Office’s data portal, FDSys, is a major pillar of US government transparency and access to information. Information... View Article
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