As we expand on our vision for local government transparency, we realize we need to start with defining what we mean by local. The general scope of the work we’re taking on is targeted at the idea of “municipal” government, something we’ve been referring to internally as city government, though we’ve quickly realized it’s not that simple. Municipal government takes many forms, and if we’re being accurate, we have to set our scope a bit wider. In the United States, a municipal government is a local government that has been authorized or incorporated according to state constitutions and statutes. Depending on the state, a municipality could be a city, town, or village, or even a borough or township. There are more than 19,000 incorporated places (e.g. municipalities), according to 2010 U.S. Census data, and they vary dramatically in size, shape, and structure.
Continue reading2Day in #OpenGov 1/18/2013
NEWS ROUNDUP: The NRA has been flexing their lobbying muscles in statehouses across the country for decades and the recent... View Article
Continue readingSunlight Goes Local
If you caught yesterday’s announcement, you may have noticed a new major focus for the Sunlight Foundation: local government transparency.... View Article
Continue readingCongress Should Fix the CFAA
Like so many others, we at Sunlight are terribly saddened by Aaron Swartz’s death. Our longtime friend and adviser Micah... View Article
Continue readingHouse Begins Publishing Committee Data
The House of Representatives’ document portal, docs.house.gov, launched in January 2012 with a surprisingly rich and relevant set of data:... View Article
Continue reading2Day in #OpenGov 1/17/2013
NEWS ROUNDUP:
- The still nascent Slovenian Pirate Party, founded with a focus on digital issues, may have an opportunity to compete sooner than they expected. Protests against austerity measures and rampant political corruption have swept the nation, leading some to call for new elections. (Tech President)
- The Vietnamese government admitted to supporting up to 1,000 bloggers and "online tastemakers" to work as propaganda agents and push Communist policies online. The country, with a poor record of freedom of expression, has seen internet use explode over the past decade. (Tech President)
- After a month of silence from its K Street representatives, the NRA has started sending in its lobbying muscle to fight President Obama's gun control proposals. They'll be armed with a new argument; guns create jobs. (Politico)
- Did you download the app created for President Obama's second inauguration? You might want to check out the terms of service, which apparently gives the Presidential Inaugural Committee permission to share data with a variety of political organizations. (Politico)
- The gun control law passed in New York this week appears to limit access to previously public information about gun permits, giving gun owners the option to remove their names from a statewide database. (New York Times)
- State revolving door laws vary widely across the country and at least 15 have no laws that would stop a legislator from resigning on Monday and registering as a lobbyist on Tuesday. (Public Integrity)
- The White House quadrupled the threshold for a petition filed via its We The People website to get an official answer. New petitions will have to get 100,000 signatures in 30 days to be acknowledged by the White House. (The Hill)
Apply for the TransparencyCamp International Program: May 2 – 5, 2013
For the last two years, we’ve invited a number of scholars, advocates, journalists, policymakers, developers, and others from all over... View Article
Continue readingKick-starting the 113th Congress: Ideas Congress can use
Looking for ideas to make government more transparent and accountable? Join the The Advisory Committee on Transparency on January 28th for... View Article
Continue readingGoogle.org Awards New Grant to Sunlight
We’re excited to share the news that Google.org just announced a $2.1 million grant for Sunlight to expand our mission... View Article
Continue reading2Day in #OpenGov 1/16/2012
NEWS ROUNDUP:
- US CIO Steven VanRoekel announced that the Digital Government Strategy is starting to lead to economic benefits, with numerous companies being formed thanks to the federal data that is being released as part of the plan.(FedScoop)
- The numerous fiscal conflicts likely to take place during the nascent days of the 113th Congress bode well for the lobbying industry. A wide range of sectors will be looking to their lobbyists to get good deals out of the upcoming debates.(Roll Call)
- Republicans and Democrats hold yearly retreats outside of Washington to formulate policy and build relationships. How they pay for these retreats says a lot about their political differences, with the GOP turning to wealthy corporate donors and the Democrats relying on taxpayer money. (National Journal)
- Philadelphia's leaders reiterated their commitment to using innovative technology to engage their citizens by naming the city's first Director of Civic Technology. Tim Wisniewski, who previously worked on Philadelphia's 311 system, will focus on creating lasting applications and helping city departments meet their goals. (Gov Tech)
- The Justice Department is recommending that the U.S. join a federal whistleblower lawsuit originally filed by Lance Armstrong's former teammate Floyd Landis.(Wall Street Journal)
- A Virginia Delegate proposed a law that would add the correspondence and working papers of state legislative aids to a list of items exempt from the state FOIA. The bill has received sharp criticism from local transparency advocates. (Watchdog.org)
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