Sunshine Week (March 11-17) is an effort by the media, civic groups, libraries, universities, legislators and others to highlight the importance of open government. This year, there are many legislative proposals to increase government oversight and transparency moving forward in Congress. The bills address contractor responsibility, environmental information, Freedom of Information Act reform, whistleblower protections and other important aspects of an open and accountable government. Contractor Responsibility

On Aug. 9, a federal district court ruled that use of the Espionage Act to prosecute private citizens for receiving and transmitting national security information is constitutional. The decision to extend the Espionage Act to non-governmental employees has sweeping implications for open government and freedom of speech and the press, and raises the prospect of the U.S. adopting an Official Secrets Act similar to that of the UK.

The Senate acted quickly last week to fill a gap in whistleblower protection law in light of a recent Supreme Court ruling which may have weakened First Amendment protections for whistleblowers. The Senate passed the Federal Employee Protection of Disclosures Act (S.494), sponsored by Sens. Daniel Akaka (D-HI) and Susan Collins (R-ME), which would strengthen protections for federal government employees that expose government inadequacies.

Dr. Jonathan Fishbein, a National Institutes of Health (NIH) researcher and director of the AIDS research division's Office of Policy in Clinical Research Operations, blew the whistle on poor scientific practices and inappropriate, unprofessional conduct by the department. NIH fired Fishbein on July 1 citing poor job performance, in what some believe to be retaliation. A review report for the NIH director's office confirms many of the issues that Fishbein raised about the agency's AIDS research division, adding to the speculation that his dismissal constituted a retaliatory action.