Conduct regulatory agency business in public

Open Government Initiative encourages agencies to make information public

Updated: Monday, December 28th, 2009 | By Angie Drobnic Holan

When President Barack Obama took office in January, one of his first actions was to direct the development of an Open Government Initiative. It took awhile, but the initiative was unveiled in December. It includes directives to federal agencies to make more information available to the public.

The initiative, signed by budget director Peter Orszag, includes four specific directions to federal agencies:

• publish government information online;
• improve the quality of government information;
• create and institutionalize a culture of open government;
• create and enable policy frameworks for open government.

At the same time the directive was released, the agencies announced 20 new measures to improve the public's access to information, everything from the U.S. Justice Department releasing a database of Freedom of Information Act requests to the Treasury Department releasing Internal Revenue Service data on migration patterns. ( Read all the initiatives here .)

We'll be watching to see if the momentum behind the Open Government Initiative is sustained and if its goals are enforced. We'll also be watching for any prominent lapses when the administration does not conduct regulatory agency business in public. But for now we rate this promise In the Works.

Sources:

The White House Open Government Initiative, Open Government Cabinet Commitments in Service of National Priorities , accessed Dec. 22, 2009

The White House Open Government Initiative (home page), accessed Dec. 24, 2009

The White House Open Government Initiative, Open Government Directive , Dec. 8, 2009

OMB Watch, Transparency: Change You can Trust , Dec. 21, 2009

OMB Watch, Open government directive hits the streets , Dec. 8, 2009