Dream Bill for Decision-making Information Access
Steven Clift
GOVPUB,
I am interested in your feedback on any efforts to fund/support
government online development in terms of Internet access to
legislative/rulemaking/decision-making information and interaction.
I helped staff the Minnesota Government Information Access
Council 1994-97 and it seems that anything that requires new
resources to provide online (versus a leveraged HTML dump) hasn't
happened.
For example you can access most Minnesota legislative
documents that existed in the older systems, but rulemaking
information is rarely online except for (almost useless PDF state
register files) because their is no uniform system to leverage. I am
**thinking about** working with some MN legislators and perhaps
Gov. Ventura's office to draft up a dream bill for online access to
official government "democracy" decision-making information.
Below are a set of ideas that have been bouncing around my head.
These are expensive infrastructure ideas that would require new public
investments - no creative budget shifting would bring these about.
Are you aware of any states/countries that have:
1. A requirement that all public meetings be announced via a
statewide online system that includes the meeting time, place,
agenda, live net audio/video feed information and perhaps
searchable past agendas, official minutes, and archived audio/video
files.
2. A state-level fully web-enabled rulemaking information system
that covers all agencies with rulemaking authority.
3. A statewide directory of all public (state and local) elected and
appointed bodies including information on each member and term
of service.
4. A government-wide electronic correspondence system which
assigns permanent e-mail addresses to all elective and appointed
positions as well as a system for use by officials to sort incoming e-
mail and develop auto-response routines.
5. A "My Democracy" system which allows the public to monitor
and be automatically notified of state legislative or local council bill
introductions, amendments, changes, meeting notices based on
user preferences.
6. Comprehensive Internet access to audio/video feeds for all
legislative committee hearings and floor sessions and searchable
access to audio/video archives.
7. Live meeting support systems for full remote Internet access to
meeting handouts and other materials distributed at the meeting.
Complementing audio/video access such a system would allow
handouts and testimony to be submitted in HTML and other
popular formats for instant Internet access.
8. Legislative or city council chambers that have been fully
connected for ISDN as well as standard **Internet-based** audio
and video conferencing for remote testimony. Specially outfitted
legislative offices that extend notebook access to include
audio/video conferencing such that legislators are equipped to meet
with constituents or make public/school presentations from their
offices via Internet-based video conferencing.
9. A statewide open appointments system that contains
announcements for all state and local open appointment
opportunities include "My Democracy" opt-in notifications based on
parameters preset by the citizen.
10. Rule of Law systems that extend from state statutes and rules
to provide coordinated online access to all local and school
ordinances and state agencies or university rules and procedures.
I am interested in full hyperlinked system showing the extension of
the state constitution down through every law, rule, or procedure
that draws its legitimacy from that constitution.
11. Examples of state-level "C-SPAN" like organizations that have
extended video coverage from just legislative event to executive
branch and significant non-government public affairs events.
12. Model legislation to package the text, audio, and video
services described here into an official, government-funded
"democracy network."
13. Creation of school and library-based "Democracy Centers"
where dedicated Internet-terminals and support materials are
presented to allow enhanced public access to online legislative
information. This might include a training program for librarians to
improve support for patron.
14. A requirement that all agency reports required by or submitted
to the legislature be delivered in standard electronic formats and
that those reports be stored and archived in an uniform and
sophisticated system. This might include a fully electronic state
document depository system.
15. An online conference center where commissioners and elected
officials can interact publicly with citizens or where organized
online events sponsored by government agencies can be held. Or
official online partnerships among government, non-profit, and
media organizations to create topical spaces for public policy
discussions connected directly to the legislative/administrative
process or general "public commons" forums at the local level.
These interactive spaces would be linked from appropriate places
on government web sites, from a "My Democracy" page, or for
example allow people interested in a certain legislative proposal to
opt-in to communication versus just receiving the bill one-way from
government without any forum for online deliberation.
Please send any feedback to: cl...@publicus.net
Steven Clift
http://www.publicus.net
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Steven Clift - E: cl...@publicus.net T:+1.612.822.8667
Info - http://publicus.net DO - http://e-democracy.org/do
Web White & Blue - http://webwhiteblue.org
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