Steve Israel Wants Public Information Online
Every now and then, there’s a bill introduced to Congress that makes such good sense that it’s difficult to imagine how anyone could oppose it. H.R. 4858, the Public Online Information Act, is such a bill.
Introduced by Congressman Steve Israel to the House of Representatives this week, the Public Online Information Act would require the federal government to make public documents available online without charge. The legislation wouldn’t require the online release of classified documents. It would only apply to government documents already cleared for release to the public.
Aren’t all public government documents available online? No, not by a long shot. Many public documents are hidden from the public, unless you already happen to have some clue about where they are. They aren’t listed in searchable public databases. They’re sitting in folders, in the basement of some building, where they may be read, if anyone can ever find them. It’s like the Vogon bureaucracy in The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, or to be more accurate, the Vogon bureaucracy is like it.
The timely online publication of public government documents could revolutionize the concept of American citizenry – if the American people are ready to meet the opportunity with interest. What if they opened up the records of the government to citizen scrutiny, and nobody came?
Great Idea. I’m looking for the best place to find the full text of current or recently passed Bills with their recorded votes. Specifically, I’m interested in the Oil Subsidy Bill recently voted in the Senate.
Also, the US has concluded many treaties with foreign countries over the years. Are some kept
secret or classified? If not, please let me know if there is a complete list of all of them somewhere, including the expiration date (if any) and cost to US taxpayers. Thanks for this wonderful web site.