Dec 2009 // Washington, D.C. - Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) today praised the White House’s Open Government Directive (OGD), a boldly innovative step that brings the executive branch closer to the president’s vision of a transparent and accountable government. Resting on the cornerstones of transparency, participation, and collaboration, the OGD provides a road map for creating and institutionalizing a culture of open government, starting with the direct participation of senior agency staff.
OGD charges each agency with the affirmative responsibility to make information publicly available. As a starting point, within 45 days all agencies must identify and post online at least three “high-value data sets.” The directive also provides opportunities for meaningful public input all along the way and establishes benchmarks to improve the quality of government information. Each agency must now develop and implement an Open Government Plan that will be posted on an Open Government Dashboard. The OGD also proscribes a critical role for Office of Management and Budget, including an identification of impediments to open government.
Anne Weismann, CREW’s Chief Counsel, said, “This directive represents the kind of bold and far reaching initiative President Obama promised on his first full day in office. By establishing a new paradigm of public access to government information, the administration has paved the way for a truly transparent and accountable government.”
Click here to read the administration’s Open Government Directive.
The Huffington Post | Rachel Weiner and Arthur Delaney
On Tuesday, the Obama administration acted on a promise the president made on his first day in office -- to make government agencies more transparent, participatory and collaborative via an "Open Government Directive." Transparency-in-government advocacy groups hailed the announcement.
The Open Government Directive will make an
Open Government memo released in May operational by directing agencies to take specific actions during the course of a two-year timeline. The White House announced the directive during a
live online chat with Chief Information Officer Vivek Kundra and Chief Technology Officer Aneesh Chopra. Kopra solicited public comment on the directive through the White House Open Government Initiative.
(
Read budget director Peter Orszag's announcement here.)
The day after his Inauguration, Obama
declared, "Information will not be withheld just because I say so. It will be withheld because a separate authority believes my request is well grounded in the Constitution. Let me say it as simply as I can, transparency and the rule of law will be the touchstones of this presidency."
Ellen Miller, director of the nonpartisan Sunlight Foundation, said Tuesday that Obama followed through on his promise.
"The Open Government Directive issued today demonstrates the seriousness of administration's commitment to data transparency and citizen engagement," said Miller in a statement. "It is evidence that the administration recognizes that transparency is government's responsibility. At the same time, it shows the administration is matching aspirational goals with concrete policies and accountability measures."
Gary Bass, executive director of OMB Watch, also praised the White House.
"The directive's scope and specificity blends both rigorous timelines and agency flexibility that will likely achieve significant improvements in government openness across agencies. The key will be how the public, the White House, and federal agencies work together in implementing the directive."
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