Advisory Committee on Transparency

Recent Posts

• Stories from our surveillance transparency panel

  Posted on

  May 15, 2015,

  Time

  3:11 p.m.

  by

  Matt Rumsey

  

  On May 8, the Sunlight Foundation's Advisory Committee on Transparency hosted a discussion on surveillance transparency and oversight featuring some leading thinkers and practitioners in the space.

  We'll be posting a deeper analysis of the event in the coming days. In the meantime, you can watch it on C-SPAN and dig deeper by reading some of the headlines that it spawned:

  • Damian Paletta in The Wall Street Journal — Intelligence Official: Era of Bulk-Records Collection Likely Over
  • Julian Hattem in The Hill — Attorney: Spy chief had 'forgotten' about NSA program when he misled Congress
  • Dan Froomkin in The Intercept — The Computers are Listening: Speech Recognition is NSA's Best-Kept Open Secret
  • Adam Mazmanian in Federal Computer Week — Spy gadgets, transparency and 800 monkeys

• Who Watches the Watchers: How much is enough surveillance transparency?

  Posted on

  April 28, 2015,

  Time

  3:57 p.m.

  by

  Matt Rumsey

  America is reeling over the apparent disconnect between what the public believes the intelligence community is doing, what the intelligence community believes it is authorized to do — and what the intelligence community is actually doing.

  With a deadline to extend and/or reform controversial provisions of the PATRIOT Act looming, this is a critical time for Congress and the American people to know all they can about the executive branch’s intelligence activities. But how much is too much?

  What should the public know? What should Congress know? What is the right vehicle for these disclosures? Perhaps most importantly, what is the effect on our democracy of inadequate public and congressional oversight? Join the Advisory Committee on Transparency and our panel of experts on Friday, May 8, 2015, from 2:30 to 4:00 p.m. in room 2203 of the Rayburn House Office Building to discuss these questions and more. The event is free for all to attend.

  • Sean Vitka, federal policy manager, the Sunlight Foundation [Moderator]
  • Frederick A.O. "Fritz" Schwarz, Jr. author, "Democracy in the Dark: The Seduction of Government Secrecy;" chief counsel, Brennan Center for Justice at the NYU School of Law
  • Mieke Eoyang, director of the National Security Program, Third Way
  • Bob Litt, general counsel, Office of the Director of National Intelligence
  • Patrick Toomey staff attorney, ACLU National Security Project [Invited]

  RSVP: snlg.ht/ACTWatchers

• How to Make Your Job Easier With Open Government Tools

  Posted on

  February 13, 2015,

  Time

  1:01 p.m.

  by

  Matt Rumsey

  Wednesday, February 18th, 2015 from 2:30 to 4:30 P.M. in room 2203 of the Rayburn House Office Building

  Open government is vital for public accountability. But, it also fuels tools that can make congressional staff more efficient, improve oversight activities, protect whistleblowers and more. Hear from experts in the open government field -- including current and former congressional staff -- as they share tools, tips, and tricks to make you more effective on the job:

  • Shanna Devine, Legislative Director, Government Accountability Project will discuss how to help whistleblowers navigate the disclosure process and protect themselves
  • Daniel Epstein, Executive Director, Cause of Action will explore theories of oversight and specific tools that can make oversight more effective
  • Hudson Hollister, Executive Director, Data Transparency Coalition will explore several tools powered by open government data
  • Seamus Kraft, Executive Director, The OpenGov Foundation will explain how to use Madison to collaboratively draft legislation and policy in the open
  • Amy Ngai, Partnerships and Training Director, Sunlight Foundation will show off how Scout can be used to track legislation, regulations, court decisions, and more
  • Justin Rood, Director of the Congressional Oversight Initiative, the Project on Government Oversight will discuss his program and how it can be useful to Congressional staff
  • Reynold Schweickhardt, Director of Technology Policy, Committee on House Administration will discuss a variety of efforts underway in the House to improve digital workflow and regularize committee information

  RSVP snlg.ht/OpenGovTools

• Helping the 114th Congress build a more transparent government.

  Posted on

  December 4, 2014,

  Time

  10:54 a.m.

  by

  Matt Rumsey

  Despite constant reports of gridlock and polarization one issue has brought Republicans and Democrats together in recent years -- government transparency. In the 113th Congress alone they fought to strengthen the Freedom of Information Act, changed the way the Federal government tracks and shares spending data, and adopted new protections for whistleblowers.

  These improvements have been rightly celebrated, but there is more work to be done. As the 113th Congress comes to a close, it is time to identify priorities and possibilities for next year and beyond. The task of opening up the government should continue to bring the parties together in the 114th Congress.

  The Advisory Committee on Transparency and the Sunlight Foundation are excited to provide a forum for a panel of experts and advocates from across the political spectrum to discuss their ideas for reforms and strategies for success. Join us on Thursday, December 11th from 12:30 to 1:30 pm in room 342 of the Dirksen Senate Office Building.

  Panelists:

  • Dan Epstein, Executive Director, Cause of Action

  • Sean Moulton, Director of Open Government Policy, Center for Effective Government

  • Shanna Devine, Legislative Director, Government Accountability Project

  • Rick Blum, Coordinator, Sunshine in Government Initiative

  • Matt Rumsey, Policy Associate, The Sunlight Foundation

  RSVP snlg.ht/Transparent114th

• Event Recap: Bringing Light into the Law

  Posted on

  October 17, 2014,

  Time

  10:13 a.m.

  by

  Matt Rumsey

  

  On Monday, September 22nd a group of experts joined the Advisory Committee on Transparency and the Sunlight Foundation to discuss the increasingly complicated nature of public access to law.

  Laws passed by Congress and state legislatures are far from the only documents that have the power of law. Technical standards, secret court opinions, municipal regulations, complex international trade documents, and more touch every American. These are often nearly impossible, and sometimes illegal, for the public to access.

  Participants in the panel discussion, moderated by the Sunlight Foundation’s Matt Rumsey, covered the full scope of this topic from the technical challenges that go along with making the law accessible to the legal arguments used by government to hide the law -- and by watchdogs to open it up.

  Gabe Rottman, legislative counsel and policy adviser at the American Civil Liberties Union, highlighted some of his organization’s efforts to open up legal documents that have the force of law. These documents, while never passed by a legislature or reviewed by a court, guide executive branch policy in cases related to torture, targeted killings, surveillance, and more. He used these examples to highlight a number of serious dangers associated with secret law and forcefully argued that making law in secret and withholding it from public knowledge de-legitimizes the lawmaking process and leads to bad law.

  Patrice McDermott, executive director of OpenTheGovernment.org, focused on a few specific reforms that could significantly improve public access to law. She noted some simple reforms to the Freedom of Information Act, that could become law soon, may make it easier to gain access to vital executive branch legal documents. She also highlighted the troublesome issue of “access for pay” that comes up when private companies are given control over legal documents and then hide those documents behind paywalls.

  Daniel Schuman, policy director at Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, set the historical stage by explaining that access to law has been baked into American democracy since the start of our union. While citizens have always had an expectation of easy access, the Internet changed everything by making it exponentially easier to disseminate and access information. Given technological changes and the power of our government, Schuman argued, citizen access must be proportional to the law’s ability to affect lives.

  As the only government employee on the panel it might have been expected that V. David Zvenyach, general counsel to the Washington, DC City Council, would feel differently than the other panelists. But, that was far from the case. David detailed some of his efforts, both as a government employee and private citizen, to make the laws of the District of Columbia more easily available to its citizens. He particularly highlighted some of the technical -- and contractual -- challenges associated with making complex legal documents available online.

  All of the speakers agreed that public access to law is vital to a healthy, well functioning democracy.

  Unfortunately, due to some technical difficulties, we are not able to share an audio or video recording of the event. You can view a more detailed wrap up from U.S. News and World Report.

• Bringing Light into the Law: Access to Law in a Rapidly Changing World

  Posted on

  September 15, 2014,

  Time

  10:50 a.m.

  by

  Matt Rumsey

  Public access to the laws of the land is a principle that has thrived for centuries. Without it, citizens would be powerless to navigate everyday interactions with their governments and the “rule of law” could collapse. Unfortunately, the scope of “law” has expanded rapidly and public access is struggling to keep up.

  Laws passed by Congress and State legislatures are far from the only documents that have the power of law. Technical standards, secret court opinions, municipal regulations, complex international trade documents, and more touch every American. These are often nearly impossible, and sometimes illegal, for the public to access.

  The Advisory Committee on Transparency is excited to host a conversation on Monday, September 22 from 2:00 - 3:30 pm in room 2203 of the Rayburn House Office Building exploring these “secret laws” and discussing ways to boost the public's ability to access and understand them. You can register for this free event here.

  Panelists:

  *Daniel Schuman, Policy Director, Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington

  *Gabe Rottman, Legislative Counsel and Policy Adviser, American Civil Liberties Union

  *Patrice McDermott, Executive Director, OpenTheGovernment.org

  *V. David Zvenyach, General Counsel, Council of the District of Columbia

  *Moderator: Matt Rumsey, the Sunlight Foundation

  RSVP: snlg.ht/ACTDarkLaw

• The Future of FOIA: Moving the Freedom of Information Act into the 21st Century

  Posted on

  March 11, 2014,

  Time

  9:27 a.m.

  by

  Matt Rumsey

  To celebrate Sunshine Week and recent House passage of the FOIA Act, the Sunlight Foundation and the Advisory Committee on Transparency are hosting an event on the Future of FOIA. The panel discussion will assess efforts and ideas to bring the Freedom of Information Act into the future, ensuring that it continues to be an effective tool to shed light on the inner workings of government far into the 21st century.

  The event will be held on Wednesday, March 19 from 2:00 - 3:30 p.m. in room 2203 of the Rayburn House Office Building. The panel of experts will include:

  • Amy Bennett: Assistant Director, OpenTheGovernment.org
  • Ali Ahmad: Majority Staff, House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform
  • Corinna Zarek: Policy Adviser for Open Government, White House Office of Science and Technology Policy
  • Krista Boyd: Minority Staff, House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform
  • Ginger McCall, Moderator: Associate Director, Electronic Privacy Information Center

  You can RSVP here. We hope that you can join us!

• The DATA Act and Beyond: Video and recap

  Posted on

  January 24, 2014,

  Time

  2:03 p.m.

  by

  Matt Rumsey

  Last month, we convened a panel of experts to discuss trending topics in government spending transparency. Our panel included Hudson Hollister, Executive Director of the Data Transparency Coalition, Nancy DiPaolo, Chief of Congressional and Intergovernmental Affairs at the Recovery Accountability and Transparency Board, and Navin Beekarry, an Associate fellow at George Washington University Law School's Center for Law, Economics, and Finance.

  We are happy to share video from the event:

• The DATA Act and Beyond: An Event Exploring Government Spending Transparency

  Posted on

  December 11, 2013,

  Time

  1:38 p.m.

  by

  Matt Rumsey

  Following the flow of government spending data is a complex, and often fruitless, pursuit. At the federal level there are few standards to ensure consistent reporting across agencies, public reporting is limited, and the accuracy of data is difficult to verify. The infrastructure used to track federal spending has often been updated in an ad-hoc manner and is in need of a thoughtful redesign.

  The DATA Act, legislation that incorporates lessons learned and best practices from federal agencies, is moving through Congress and could soon become law. If passed, it will ensure that more, and more accurate, federal spending data is made publicly available online.

  We are excited to host a panel assessing the current state of spending transparency and examining the challenges facing its future. Our group of experts will discuss the DATA Act's prospects, detail efforts underway within the executive branch, and explore the future of spending transparency. The event will take place on Monday, December 16 at 2:00 p.m. in room 2203 of the Rayburn House Office Building.

  We hope you will be able to join us and ask that you please RSVP here.

  Panelists:

  *Hudson Hollister: Executive Director, the Data Transparency Coalition

  *Nancy DiPaolo: Chief of Congressional and Intergovernmental Affairs, the Recovery Accountability and Transparency Board

  *Navin Beekarry: Associate Fellow, Center for Law, Economics, and Science George Washington University

  *Moderator Kaitlin Devine: Senior Web Developer, the Sunlight Foundation

• Transparency Caucus Event - FOIA: Today's Challenges and Tomorrow's Opportunities

  Posted on

  March 11, 2013,

  Time

  12:32 p.m.

  by

  Matt Rumsey

  The Congressional Transparency Caucus is holding an event this Tuesday, March 12, 2013 to discuss recent progress in FOIA reform and explore what still needs to be done to improve public access to government records. The event will take place in room 2203 of the Rayburn House Office Building and will start at 3 p.m.

  The Transparency Caucus will hear from a number of noted FOIA experts:

  • Daniel Schuman, Policy Counsel, Sunlight Foundation (moderator)
  • Miriam Nisbet, Director of the Office of Government Information Services (OGIS) at the National Archives and Records Administration
  • Rick Blum, Coordinator, Sunshine in Government Initiative
  • Gavin Baker, Open Government Policy Analyst at the Center for Effective Government
  • Richard Pollock, Investigative Reporter, Washington Examiner

  The Congressional Transparency Caucus is co-chaired by Representative's Mike Quigley (D-IL) and Darrell Issa (R-CA). The Caucus seeks to enact legislation that will bring openness and accessibility to the federal government.

No scheduled events.

• Citizens for Ethics

  May 20, 2015,

  RT @USATODAY: #BREAKING Exclusive: Indicted gyrocopter pilot tells USA TODAY he’ll use notoriety to reform campaign finance t.co/R1d…

• NatlSecurityArchive

  May 20, 2015,

  #Snowden dox on Abbottabad raid to capture UBL #FOIA https://t.co/i0AMtcknAS

• David Moore

  May 20, 2015,

  NYC, you're probably all going to see Nekrofilth at St. Vitus tonight, but come catch me & @yben chat tech-politics at @civichall in an hour

• Citizens for Ethics

  May 20, 2015,

  In Vern Buchanan's district RT @realDonaldTrump: Looking forward to being awarded the ‘2015 Statesman of the Year’ by @SRQRepublicans