Blog Posts
March 10, 2023, by Fritz Mulhauser
UPDATE 3-20-23 D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser and Council Chairman Phil Mendelson on Friday (17) wrote to House and Senate leadership opposing the pending resolution of disapproval of the District’s police reform bill. (Introduced in the House, it has not found a Senate sponsor.) According to the Washington Post report published online Saturday (18) by Meagan […]
March 8, 2023, by Fritz Mulhauser
The D.C. Open Government Coalition submitted ten oral and written testimonies during the Council oversight season just concluded. With a roster completed with two new members selected in last fall’s elections, the new Council kicked off the 25th Council period with 63 hearings by eleven committees. Their charge was to review government performance in 2021-22 […]
Speakers Announced for “Open Government Summit” March 15, 2023
February 28, 2023, by Fritz Mulhauser
The D.C. Open Government Coalition and the Society of Professional Journalists-D.C. Professional Chapter invite you to the Open Government 2023 Summit. When: 6:00 – 8:00 p.m., Wednesday, March 15, 2023 Where: Open Gov Hub, 1100 13th St. NW Ste. 800 (13th & L Streets) (McPherson Sq. Metro) The 2023 Summit returns in person! All are […]
D.C. Law Passed to Curb WhatsApp Misuse in Government Has Expired
February 14, 2023, by Fritz Mulhauser
UPDATE 3/7/23 The D.C. Council passed emergency and temporary legislation today by unanimous vote to extend the law making all government officials’ electronic messages public records. The emergency law takes effect (for 90 days) when the mayor signs it. The temporary law (225 days) takes effect when the mayor signs it and it survives a […]
Save the Date: Sunshine Week Community Open Government Summit Set for March 15, 2023
January 25, 2023, by Fritz Mulhauser
Plan to attend the in-person return of the Coalition’s annual “Summit” meeting for everyone interested in District of Columbia government transparency. Join us on Wednesday, March 15, 2023, at 6:00 p.m. at the Open Gov Hub, 1100 13th St., N.W., 8th floor. See the richness of our past summit sessions, in write-ups available here. […]
Holiday Letter from D.C. Open Government Coalition
December 17, 2022, by Fritz Mulhauser
Coalition founder and board president, Tom Susman, sends this letter to all: Dear Friend of Open Government: As the New Year approaches, the D.C. Open Government Coalition thanks you for your support and commitment to enhancing the public’s access to government information and ensuring the transparency of the District of Columbia government. As with so […]
D.C. Council Votes Major Open Government Improvements
December 11, 2022, by Fritz Mulhauser
This week, the D.C. Council advanced government transparency, especially concerning criminal justice. For years and increasingly since 2020 following the police murder of George Floyd in Minneapolis the community and the Open Government Coalition have called for more information that can bolster police accountability. The marathon Council action on more than 50 bills at its […]
November 12, 2022, by Fritz Mulhauser
UPDATE 12/11/22: The bill discussed below passed the full D.C. Council on its first reading November 15 and second reading December 6. The D.C. Open Government Coalition unsuccessfully wrote Council members requesting amendment or postponement. It goes to the mayor for signature (who suggested the bill in the first place) and then congressional review for […]
Advocates Welcome Architects’ Initial Work on New Archives Building, But Questions Remain
October 17, 2022, by Fritz Mulhauser
After years of delay, a new D.C. archives building came one step closer to life with a September 1 draft report from its architects. But reviewers in the community are concerned much remains to be clarified, according to comments submitted by three groups to the D.C. Office of Public Records, the office advising the D.C. […]
D.C. Archives Improvements Are A Work in Progress
August 21, 2022, by Fritz Mulhauser
Plans are moving slowly for a new D.C. Archives facility, and so far without noticeable attention to concerns surfaced in Council hearings and budget reports earlier in the year, according to D.C. Open Government Coalition discussions with advocates, observations of meetings, and a recent report by a new Archives Advisory Group to the D.C. Council. […]
