Open Government: The Plan
We focused on the four core principles behind the Open Government Initiative in drafting the plan:
- Publishing government information online
- Improving the quality of government information
- Creating and institutionalizing a culture of open government
- Enabling a policy framework for open government
The plan mandates a 15 percent reduction of Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request backlogs per year at DHS - which we've already decreased by 81 percent over the past four years - to enhance transparency of departmental records and communications.
The plan recommends the expansion of "Virtual USA" - a DHS information-sharing initiative that links disparate tools and technologies to improve communication between first responders during emergencies.
The plan also highlights the Department's efforts to support fusion centers with state and local governments, critical assets in preventing crime and terrorism in communities across the country through two-way intelligence and information sharing between DHS and the rest of the federal government and our state, local, tribal, and territorial law enforcement partners.
The department also solicited and incorporated public feedback in drafting the plan. We plan to continue this method of public engagement as we develop other initiatives and tools. Look for new ways to engage with the Department in the coming months.
The full plan is available here.
"My Administration is committed to creating an unprecedented level of openness in Government. We will work together to ensure the public trust and establish a system of transparency, public participation, and collaboration. Openness will strengthen our democracy and promote efficiency and effectiveness in Government.”
- President Obama, 01/21/09
Labels: Open Government, virtual usa
6 Comments:
At April 7, 2010 2:50 PM , Danichi Vam-Phyere said...
"My Administration is committed to creating an unprecedented level of openness in Government. We will work together to ensure the public trust and establish a system of transparency, public participation, and collaboration. Openness will strengthen our democracy and promote efficiency and effectiveness in Government.”
I know how this sounds, but does that include any information regarding official UFO reports?
At April 7, 2010 6:54 PM , Anonymous said...
Please increase the EB quota for 140 K visa per year.
Make a law for USCIS so they can reuse the unnused visa numbers.
At April 8, 2010 3:11 PM , Anonymous said...
Employement based immigration has huge visa demand for countries like India and China
DHS has recently posted demand data as of April 1st, for May 2010 bulletin at
http://www.travel.state.gov/pdf/EmploymentDemandUsedForCutOffDates.pdf
USCIS has posted all pending I-485(Adjustment of Status) employment applications as of March 8th at
http://www.uscis.gov/USCIS/Green%20Card/Green%20Card%20Through%20a%20Job/Employment%20Based%20I-485%20Pending%20Inventory-Total%203-8-2010.pdf
Eb3-India has more than 50,000 pending I-485 applications.But demand data relased by DHS has only 5300.It is difficult for us to co-relate these two reports
Please post a employment based immigration blog with details on employemnt visa demand data determination.
At April 9, 2010 11:11 AM , Anonymous said...
Hearing the term "fusion center" with state and local governments makes me wonder will the DOH incorporate national guard assets. The term is confusing and doesn't give any hints of how the DOH and other federal/state/local government and law enforcement interaction will be better served.
At April 11, 2010 10:52 PM , CNA Training said...
I'd also be interested in seeing an employment based immigration post, it seems to me that the available data on this is fuzzy at best.
At April 11, 2010 11:53 PM , Borislav Sabotinov said...
The open government initiative will provide citizens with greater access to information they can use in making decisions. However, the current efforts in transparency must be coupled with civic education. Information alone cannot improve the national state of affairs if it is not put to use. The effectiveness of transparency is decreased if available data on government sites is accessed by a minimal segment of the population.
According to the US Census, only 96 million people, about 47% of registered voters, voted in the 2006 congressional election. During the 2008 presidential election, 131 million, or 61%, voted. The legislative branch, which is most representative of the people, receives the least attention. The more citizens willingly participate in the political process, the better our system of government works. If less than half of the voting population participates in choosing their congressional representatives, how many people can be expected to take advantage of the increased government transparency? Perhaps fusing government information with highly used social networking sites may increase civil participation and see a greater use of available information. Creating a publicly accessible OMB or GAO Facebook page with relevant data presented in an appealing and interesting manner could assist in attracting the attention of young citizens. In an age of low-cost, high visibility and usability collaboration technology, the government must compete alongside corporations for the people’s time and attention.
Rather than waiting for citizens to seek out government information, the administration should proactively seek out voters and educate them about important social and economic issues. Often, people are unaware of how government actions affect them. Thousands of bills are proposed and passed in congress every year, many of which go unnoticed by the general public. Easier access to information is beneficial; however, a public awareness of where and what to look for is an essential component of a truly transparent government.
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