News

Tool to streamline Indiana state government

Gov. Mike Pence announced Monday the state is developing a data analytics tool for use by state agencies that could help increase the efficiency and effectiveness of state government. The tool will be especially useful on issues that involve multip ...

Guest View: Transparency not Republican, not Democrat

Openness in government is not a liberal, conservative, Republican, Democrat, Independent, TEA party or Libertarian issue. The importance of transparency in local, state and federal government should transcend parties and political ideologies. Check ...

Editorial: Accountability for state contracts, grants necessary

This week is Sunshine Week, which makes it an ideal time to reiterate the importance of open government and why my office is diligently working to improve government transparency and accountability. Since taking office, I have been committed to build ...

Maine government scrutinizes official use of secret messaging system

A spokeswoman for Gov. Paul LePage says the administration is reviewing state policies to determine whether to ban the use of secret messaging systems, which could enable state officials to circumvent public records law. The scrutiny follows testimony Friday by a former employee of the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention, who told the Legislature's Government Oversight Committee that supervisors had instructed her to conduct state business with an untraceable messaging feature on her state-issued BlackBerry. read more ...

Mississippi legislature passes two important Sunshine bills hat head to Governor for his consideration.

The Legislature has passed two very important bills on to Gov. Phil Bryant for his consideration. Both Senate Bill 2507 and House Bill 928 make significant improvements to Mississippi's so-called "Sunshine laws." They're known that way because of their purpose to increase transparency in government. read more ...

Testimony: Reinvigorating freedom of information for the digital age

Among the journalism experts testifying before the U.S. Senate last week was David Cuillier, head of the UA journalism school and president of the Society of Professional Journalists, who spoke about the importance of open government and freedom of i ...

Transparency lags for NC lawmakers, advocates say

Despite widespread interest, efforts to make the North Carolina Legislature more transparent through better audio and video coverage have failed, panelists at an open government forum said on Monday. Lawmakers conduct much of their work debating bi ...

Blog: Despite promises, Obama’s open government record found wanting

An Associated Press study Monday found that, despite promises of openness and transparency, the Obama administration is not proving itself to be the most transparent administration ever. “More often than ever,” the study found, “t ...

Open government forecast: Cloudy for Sunshine Week

The 2014 Legislature had several opportunities to make state government more open and accessible to the public. Sadly, it passed on most of them. State lawmakers could have set an example for their congressional colleagues by approving a modest bil ...

Open-government regulations gain strength

In February, the Gloversville mayor and Common Council spent nearly 90 minutes behind closed doors in a meeting a state official later said appeared to violate the state's Open Meetings Law. In January, members of the new Montgomery County Legislature met privately with U.S. Sen. Charles Schumer in apparent violation of the law. Also in January, the Johnstown Board of Education declined to immediately provide the public with details about administrative raises. A state official said the information should have been provided. read more ...