FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
January 12, 2016
CONTACTS
Nicko Margolies (The OpenGov Foundation) (202) 642-4467; nicko@opengovfoundation.org
Michael Rupert (Office of the Chief Technology Officer) (202) 724-5178; michael.rupert@dc.gov
Press Release
D.C. Government Expands Use of The OpenGov Foundation’s Madison Platform
WASHINGTON, D.C. (January 12, 2016) — Today, D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser and the Office of the Chief Technology Officer launched drafts.dc.gov with The OpenGov Foundation’s Madison platform to expand online civic engagement and public participation in policymaking. This new implementation of Madison builds on more than two years of The OpenGov Foundation supporting better DC government with free, open source technology.
“It’s tremendous to see DC deepen its commitment to directly engaging with residents and local business owners in order to build a better city together,” said Seamus Kraft, Executive Director of The OpenGov Foundation. “We exist to help bridge the gap between citizens and their government with free tools like Madison, and are honored to support its expanded use in the District.”
The Madison policymaking platform has been lowering the barriers between D.C. residents and their government since May 2014, when Councilmember David Grosso launched the first-ever opportunity for citizens to participate in drafting city laws. Drafts.dc.gov will power even more civic engagement, across two branches of local government, at almost $0 cost to taxpayers. That is the definition of efficient, effective 21st century government.
In March 2013, the D.C. Office of Open Government and The OpenGov Foundation launched DCdecoded.org, a free software platform that empowers all District residents to discover, access and use local laws when they want and how they want. In September 2014, Councilmember Grosso and Director of the Department of Energy and the Environment Tommy Wells joined the nationwide Free Law Founders (FLF) coalition dedicated to bringing America’s state and local laws and lawmaking processes into the 21st century. And in February 2015, Councilmember Charles Allen also joined the FLF.
Madison, the State Decoded and all civic technologies created by The OpenGov Foundation are freely available as open source software. That means any city, county or state government in America can harness these powerful tools to modernize internal operations, efficiently create better policy outcomes through online collaboration with their constituents, and more at $0 cost to taxpayers. Interested elected officials and staff should contact The OpenGov Foundation at SayHello@opengovfoundation.org, on Twitter @FoundOpenGov or by calling +1-760-659-0631.
About The OpenGov Foundation
The OpenGov Foundation is a fiercely nonpartisan nonprofit helping people participate in the government decisions that affect their lives. We believe innovative technology and open data can help deliver democratic governments that listen to citizens, operate efficiently and solve our shared challenges the smart way. We believe democracy means everyone should have the chance to be a hands-on contributor.
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