Tester proposes putting public records online
You know what I love? Proactive disclosure. I think there is no downside to just publishing government information right on the web. It’s convenient, fast, and cuts down on the whole FOIA hassle.
Which is why it is so exciting that Sen. Jon Tester-D introduced a bill that would require government agencies to publish all their public documents online in a free, indexed database.
But why stop at the three federal branches? America would see just as much benefits from state agency participation, something we’ve already seen in a few states like, Missouri.
All this federal information is fully public anyway, so why not? Just hope it doesn’t cost too much, given our financial crisis. It would certainly cut down on FOIA administration costs.