Transparency
Updated

GSA unveils advisory committee for transparency initiatives

The committee will help foster new goals and initiatives under the Biden administration’s open government plan.

A pair of government transparency-friendly bills are headed for the House floor

One measure aims to improve the process for agencies to transfer excess office supplies and other items to another agency.

Supreme Court clarifies when public officials can block citizens on social media

The Supreme Court unanimously found in a pair of cases that whether a government official can block a constituent on their personal social media account hinges on if a post is a state action or is private conduct.

Modernize FOIA to increase its Sunshine effect

COMMENTARY | A modern-day FOIA needs to adopt changes that are uniform and consistent across all the covered agencies, writes a former FOIA officer.

Conservatives bemoan disappearance of OPM official time docs

Officials at the federal government’s HR agency said a webpage housing sporadic reports on agencies’ official time use did not survive a recent website redesign, but suggested tweaks are ongoing.

Government Agencies Work to Document the Painful Past of Indian Boarding Schools

The National Endowment for the Humanities has earmarked $4 million to support the digitization of records from the United States’ system of 408 federal Indian boarding schools.

GOP Lawmakers Call for Congressional Ban on Members Using TikTok

A coalition of 17 House and Senate GOP lawmakers called for an amendment to both chambers’ rules to bar members of Congress from using TikTok for official purposes.

21-Year-Old Air Force IT Specialist Charged With Leaking Classified Security Documents

A team of Justice and FBI agents arrested 21-year-old Jack Teixeira in Massachusetts in connection with the widespread intel leak.

The Justice Department Underscores the Need for FOIA ‘Presumption of Openness’

New guidance comes at the start of the annual “Sunshine Week” promoting open government.

Going Paperless Is Harder Than It Seems For Agencies

Iron Mountain Government Solutions' Melissa Carson joins the podcast to discuss how agencies are progressing in compliance with moving away from paper records in accordance with directive M-19-21.

The House Wants Agencies to Reveal the Deals They Cut to Avoid Lengthy Legal Battles

The settlement agreements federal agencies enter into would become more transparent under a bill passed Tuesday.

The White House Charts a Course for Open Government 

The fifth U.S. Open Government National Action Plan, shared exclusively with Government Executive before release, builds on many of the Biden administration's previous efforts.

GovExec Daily: Can the Federal Government Just Dismiss Whistleblower Cases?

Attorneys Richard Renner and Kate Krems joined the podcast to discuss the case of United States ex rel. Polansky v. Executive Health Resources Inc.

DOJ Looks to Improve the FOIA Experience With a New ‘Wizard’

A new FOIA search tool is under development, while forthcoming shared business standards aim to streamline case management systems.

What’s Next after the FBI Search of Trump’s Residence?

"What we do know is that they were executing a search warrant that suggested they had probable cause to believe that evidence would be found for three different crimes."

FBI’s Mar-a-Lago Search Warrant Affidavit Reveals How Trump May Have Compromised National Security – a Legal Expert Answers 5 Key Questions

A search warrant expert breaks down the affidavit the FBI used to search Mar-a-Lago, and the national security concerns it presents.

You Don’t Have to Be a Spy to Violate the Espionage Act – and Other Crucial Facts about the Law Trump May Have Broken

Two national security law experts explain how the Espionage Act isn’t only about international intrigue, and share other important points about the law that was invoked in a search of Trump’s estate.