Lawmakers that want to use open source solutions — which are restriction-free, reusable and frequently more cost-effective — usually can't. But all that may be about to change.
Continue readingCongress to President Obama: Make government contractors disclose political spending
Members of the Senate and the House wrote to President Obama urging him to draft and enact an executive order forcing all government contractors to disclose any political spending.
Continue readingGrowing chorus calling for CRS reports to be open to the public
The Sunlight Foundation has been pushing for consistent public access to Congressional Research Service reports for years. Now, some powerful voices have joined the chorus.
Continue readingIn Utah, conflict of interest disclosure available with a click
Utah is prominently publishing conflict of interest information online for all state lawmakers.
Continue readingSenate rejects attempt to weaken FOIA — for now
An amendment introduced by Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell that would have soften FOIA was thwarted — for now.
Continue readingOpenGov Voices: Crowdsourcing state and local transparency
While many local governments offer public records, disclosure is inconsistent and not standardized. California Common Sense encountered this problem — and devised an interesting solution.
Continue readingBan on secret backdoor searches of American’s data passes the House (again)
Good news for surveillance reform: An amendment that would end secret, warrantless surveillance on Americans' information just passed the House.
Continue readingSunlight and 26 others call for an end to secret, warrantless searches of Americans’ data
The Sunlight Foundation is joining a coalition that's demanding an end to secret, warrantless searches of Americans' data.
Continue readingVote buying sullies Mexico’s midterm elections
The 2015 Mexican midterm elections may have concluded with a minimal change in the balance of power at the national level, but questions still remain about the integrity of Mexican politics and electoral processes.
Continue readingOhio boosts local financial transparency with online checkbook
Ohio is leading the way on financial transparency with its new online checkbook, allowing anyone to easily access local spending data.
Continue reading
59063
