Attorney General's Government Transparency Initiative
Government transparency is vital to a healthy democracy. Public scrutiny helps ensure that government works for the people and spends their tax dollars wisely. The best way to hold government accountable is to make government records and public meetings accessible to the people. That's why I've made enforcement of government transparency laws a major priority. Here are some major changes I recently put in place:
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In the spirit of openness, we are bringing the discussion about government transparency to you. In coordination with the Oregon Newspaper Publishers' Association, we are sponsoring a series of public meetings around the state in 2010 to get your input. Sign up for updates.
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A new Citizen's Guide to Public Records and Public Meetings is now available on the Department of Justice's website. This guide is designed to help citizens learn about and use Oregon's open records and open meetings laws.
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The 2008 Attorney General's Manual on Public Records and Public Meetings is now available online, free of charge. It provides in-depth commentary on both open records and meetings laws. A new manual is scheduled for release in early 2010.
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A new online Public Records Request Form makes it much easier to file a public records request with the Oregon Department of Justice.
- The Government Transparency Counsel is a new position in the Department of Justice designed to ensure that state government properly complies with state transparency laws.
For media inquiries, please contact Communications and Policy Director Tony Green by email or telephone: 503-378-6002.
Statewide Hearings
The Attorney General launched a systematic review of Oregon's transparency laws to identify weak points and suggest improvements in time for the 2011 legislative session. A successful overhaul of Oregon's open government laws will require input from the public, the media and government officials. To that end, the Attorney General sponsored a series of 6 public meetings around the state. The meetings were co-sponsored by the Oregon Newspaper Publishers' Association. The purpose of the meetings was to gather suggestions from everyone who is interested in improving government transparency. Listen to the meetings:
- Salem, 2/24/10, Audio Part 1 (51 min), Audio Part 2 (34 min)
- Portland, 3/31/10, Audio Part 1 (51 min), Audio Part 2 (51 min), Audio Part 3 (5 min)
- Bend, 4/29/10, Audio Part 1 (51 min), Audio Part 2 (46 min)
- Eugene, 5/5/10, Audio Part 1 (51 min), Audio Part 2 (46 min)
- Pendleton, 5/13/10, Audio (48 min)
- Medford, 6/10/10, Audio Part 1 (51 min), Audio Part 2 (50 min)
Suggestions and other written testimony submitted as part of the Government Transparency Initiative are available here:
- Testimony and Submissions (225 MB Zip Archive)
- Sign Ups (1.2 MB Zip Archive)
- Other Communications (4.4 MB Zip Archive)
If you would like to submit additional testimony or get updates, please use the form below. The input fields with an asterisk (*) are required.
