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.

Oregon Attorney General has the right idea

Oregon Attorney General John Kroger is really taking transparency to heart. He’s taking part in a series of talks around the state that invite citizens and the media to suggest improvements to the state’s sunshine law.

The Attorney General is “very eager to hear people’s experiences and take input.” A great idea, since the one thing people want when they are upset or frustrated is a sympathetic ear. The people in attendance for this first talk were happy to have an outlet for their concerns, while a handful tried to point fingers about alleged corruption in the court system.

Still, the general feeling of the citizens in attendance was one of collaboration with the government. One citizen said “It’s not a matter of pointing fingers, it’s ‘let’s be as transparent as possible.’”

The talk went on in the same vein of constructive progress. Attendees made suggestions about how to improve Oregon’s law, including putting public records online, cutting fees and limiting what sometimes can be lengthy responses to public-record requests.

The attorney general’s office has taken several steps to promote government transparency. Kroger’s office has put public records and meetings manuals online, created a citizens guide to public records and meetings for laypersons, and has posted records requests online, among other things. A last step to improve Oregon’s law, according to Kroger, is to take suggestions from the public meetings to the Legislature.

This is exactly the type of personal initiative we believe in at Sunshine Review. Attorney General Kroger takes it one step further by actually asking to hear from people who have experience requesting information. And we think it pays off; the option is either becoming a transparent government voluntarily, or waiting too long until your legitimacy takes a hit and you’re forced to release information.

Increasing revenue works in Oregon, but how about cutting spending?

Yesterday, Meaures 66 and 67 passed in Oregon. The measures will raise $730 million to fill in a shortfall in the state’s 2009-2011 biennial budget for education, health care and public safety by raising personal income taxes for individuals earning more than $125,000 and increasing corporate taxes on all businesses, except sole proprietorships.

Another way Oregon may consider cutting spending is to cut some taxpayer-funded lobbying, the use of public money by a government entity to lobby another government for money. One report places the amount of money spent nationally on taxpayer-funded lobbying at $1 trillion each year.

Some local governments have come to realize this. Jackson County has recently decided to leave the Association of Oregon Counties. With dues at $31,000 a year, an inability to dictate the lobbying prioties to pursue, and rampant inefficiency, it makes sense that the county would want to step back and localize its decisions.

Here’s hoping Oregon survives the budget crises that have been so common lately around the country.