NOTE: Since this story was posted on Friday, Nov. 7, the pages linked to below have been removed from transition site, with no reason apparent. ProPublica is following the story.
President-elect Obama is proposing an ambitious agenda for increasing government openness through technology and good old-fashioned sunshine.
"The Bush administration has been one of the most secretive, closed administrations in America history," according to the transition Web site, Change.gov. "An Obama presidency will use cutting-edge technologies to reverse this dynamic, creating a new level of transparency, accountability and participation for America's citizens."
Among the proposals are:
The creation of online databases for lobbying reports, ethics records and campaign finance filings
A "contracts and influence" database to track federal contractors' spending on lobby efforts
Online reporting of corporate tax breaks
Posting of non-emergency legislation for five days on the White House Web site for public review and comment
Cabinet-level broadband town hall meetings
A nullification of the Bush executive order stifling release of presidential records
The requirement that departments and agencies "conduct the significant business of the agency in public, so that any citizen can see in person or watch on the Internet these debates."
To oversee these efforts, Obama suggests the appointment of a chief technology officer who will "ensure that our government and all its agencies have the right infrastructure, policies and services for the 21st century."
More about President-elect Obama's technology and openness plans are posted at Change.gov.
In addition, several open government groups have put forward suggestions for specific areas where access to information can be improved. Read some of them here.
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Posted by: sayen | February 05, 2009 at 09:31 AM