Info & Access News Archive 2001

Info & Access News Archive 2001:

Archived news from 2001

News

Questions Surround Handling of FirstGov 12/10/2001
FirstGov.gov-- the government’s first attempt to coordinate electronic information across federal agencies for public use -- has recently experienced a significant increase in the number of users. As a result of the demand for information since September 11, the FirstGov site received 7 million hits during the month of September, up from an average of 1 million hits per month since its beginning. Read More

A Post-September 11 Attack on Right-to-Know 10/02/2001
Comments from OMB Watch Executive Director Gary Bass
October 2, 2001
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Attack on Risk Management Plans 09/30/2001
Section 112(r) of the Clean Air Act requires the creation of Risk Management Plans to address prevention of chemical accidents. In particular, chemical facilities must identify and assess their chemical hazards and carry out certain activities designed to reduce the likelihood and severity of chemical releases. The law requires this information to be available to the public. According to EPA, “Using this information citizens will have the opportunity to work with industry to reduce risks to the community from chemical accidents.”
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Hearing Cancelled on "Leaks" Criminalization Provision of Intelligence Authorization Act 09/05/2001
In the early evening of September 4th, Senate Select Committee on Intelligence Chairman Robert Graham announced cancellation of the hearing on a provision planned for inclusion in the 2002 Intelligence Authorization Act that would have made a felony of any unauthorized disclosure of any classified information by any current or former federal employee. Read More

City E-Gov Evaluations 09/01/2001
San Diego, San Jose, and Seattle are among the best city "e-government" websites in the U.S., according to the August 2001 Civic Resources Group report and Brown University's Taubman Center September 2001 report. The three cities took top spots on both lists. Read More

Letter to Senator Graham on the "Leaks" Provision in the Upcoming Intelligence Authorization Bill 08/29/2001
OMB Watch will not let the government criminalize "leaked" information. Read our letter to Senator Graham urging him to not include the provision in the upcoming Intelligence Authorization bill. Read More

Testimony on the E-Government Act of 2001 07/19/2001
The E-Government Act of 2001, S. 803, is a bill that will help the federal government move into the electronic information age. OMB Watch's Senior Policy Analyst, Dr. Patrice McDermott, addresses the strengths and weaknesses of the bill in this testimony to the Committee on Governmental Affairs.

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S. 803 - The E-Government Act of 2001 05/02/2001
Click here to view a printer friendly version of S. 803, The E-Government Act of 2001.

Lieberman E-Government Bill Promotes Greater Openness and Accountability 05/01/2001
Senator Joseph Lieberman unveiled his E-Government bill on May 1. The 90-page bill is the most comprehensive piece of legislation on e-government to date and the only piece of legislation that focuses on the government's management of its information for access and accountability. Read More

OMB Watch Analysis of the Information Management Component of the E-Government Act of 2001 05/01/2001
In a recent Hart-Teeter poll, respondents said greater "government accountability" was the most significant benefit that e-government could confer. This was chosen by a considerable margin, almost three times as often as was "convenient services." The second top priority according to the poll is "greater public access to information" (which is, of course, essential for greater government accountability). Majorities of adults expressed a favorable view of every e-government function tested. Read More

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