Update from the Commonwealth Foundation: Government Transparency Resources

Member Group : Commonwealth Foundation

UPDATE from the Commonwealth Foundation
01.23.09

Government Transparency Resources

Our latest CF NOW video highlights current efforts to create more government transparency in Pennsylvania:

If you can’t access the video through the icon above, visit here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RStLqbLqsmw

Here are some of the key resources on Open Government:

Commonwealth Foundation Projects

• Pennsylvania Votes: Tracking legislation before the Pennsylvania General Assembly, including a lay-person’s description of each bill, roll call floor and committee votes, and the ability for users to comment on each bill and discuss topics in the forums.

• School Board Transparency: A project to help improve transparency in school district labor contract negotiations, including a blog discussing developments and best practices, an honor roll of school districts providing transparency, and a guide to school contracts on Sunshine Review.

Collaborative Efforts

• Sunshine Review: Sunshine Review, a project of the Sam Adams Alliance collects and shares information about government transparency, openness and accountability at the state and local level. Individuals and organizations can contribute to provide information about their government. Related sites include Ballotpedia (on ballot initiatives and referenda) and Judgepedia.

• Show Me the Spending: A project led by the National Taxpayer’s Union, involving a coalition of groups working to provide greater info on state (and local) government spending. The Commonwealth Foundation has help by providing links to information on the Pennsylvania budget.

Resources

• Pennsylvania Office of Open Records
• Pennsylvania eContracts Library (from the State Treasurer’s Office)
• Pennsylvania Freedom of Information Coalition

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The Commonwealth Foundation (www.CommonwealthFoundation.org) is an independent, non-profit public policy research and educational institute based in Harrisburg, PA.

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