Today, the Obama administration releases a slew of plans, memos and other materials in its Open Government Directive process. All cabinet level agencies, as well as many independent agencies, are releasing Open Government Plans that layout what each agency will do to become more transparent, participatory and collaborative. In addition to the plans, the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) has issued memos on policy clarifications on the Paperwork Reduction Act, the creation of a regulatory identification number, and long term federal spending transparency.

Today, the Obama administration cleared a major hurdle for agencies seeking to solicit public input into policymaking and implementing the reforms called for in the Open Government Directive (OGD) issued on December 8, 2009.  The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) issued a memo that exempts web-based interactive technologies from the requirements of the Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA).  Now, agencies are freer than before to communicate with the public in an unstructured way but there are still some restrictions on the solicitation of structured feedback.

Curious about the information government is tracking about your community’s health?  What about data on the wetlands in your area?  Or perhaps the federal contracts going to your community’s businesses?  Well, now is the time to let the government know what you want to see.  They're listening.