Oregon Attorney General pushing for stronger FOIA laws

I wanted to highlight an excellent op-ed in the Oregon Statesman Journal who commended Attorney General John Kroger movement towards a more transparent government. The paper called it when they said, “Oregon government should adhere to a simple concept: The public’s business must be conducted in public.”

The op-ed went on to describe ways to remove common loopholes for Oregon’s public record law, saying how reforms could help increase transparency in the state.

I’m with them all the way, but I also think they’re thinking too small. Why not publish this information proactively online? And why stop statewide? Oregon’s current grade according to our transparency checklist is a mediocre “C” and the local websites fare even worse, earning an overall “D” transparency grade.

So, let’s think big Oregon, put it online already.

For more on John Kroger and his transparency efforts, read from a few weeks ago.