It's time to revisit how long we keep public records and why.
Continue readingHow obscurity screwed the STOCK Act – and the rest of us
The STOCK Act, which forbids government officials from profiting from non-public information, originally required comprehensive disclosure; but the law was gutted, and now it takes months for financial disclosures to be released.
Continue readingWatching out for the future of California’s public records
A vote next month in California could impact the future of public records, open meetings, and even open data across all levels of government there.
Continue readingU.S. Open Data Action Plan: Better late than never
The U.S. is out with its Open Data Action Plan, stemming from a G7 commitment from last year. The plan lays out recent data releases and sets timelines for open data actions moving forward.
Continue readingDark Data: The importance of open inventories
We have been meeting with agencies about their open government plans and encouraging them to release their entire Enterprise Data Inventories.
Continue readingHow good records management helps open data
Since public records are the foundation for open data, the custodians of public records should be included in the open data process.
Continue readingTransparency Case Study: Lobbying disclosure in Canada
While there are many admirable features of Canadian lobbying regulation, current disclosure thresholds and requirements actually create a subtly perverse incentive structure that drives activity into the shadows.
Continue readingOpenGov Voices: Bringing open and interactive budget data to New Orleans
The Committee for a Better New Orleans, with the support from Sunlight Foundation’s OpenGov Grant, plans to launch an interactive website to provide a basic overview of the city's budget.
Continue readingWhy the DATA Act will be good for local transparency, too
Sunlight has long been a supporter of the DATA Act, which will help open federal spending data. The DATA Act could help improve local financial transparency, too.
Continue readingAsking for top-level changes to help boost local financial transparency
There's a clear path forward for opening up data about local finances, and we've written a letter in support of taking steps in that direction.
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