FLF Members from Across America Call On Cambridge, MA Colleagues to
Include Textual Data in Open Data Ordinance to Be Considered Today
WASHINGTON, D.C. (July 15, 2015) — In a July 14 letter to the Cambridge (MA) City Council, 5 Elected Official Members of the Free Law Founders Coalition (FLF) called upon the council to include textual data — like laws, legislation, rules and regulations — in its proposed draft open data ordinance to be considered by the Council today at 5:30 PM EST (webcast). The law is the foundational data set in every democracy, and the nation-wide FLF coalition exists to help governments deliver citizens the best possible access to their laws, legal codes and legislation.
“As elected officials and civil society organizations [we are] deeply committed to making government more efficient, effective and open,” wrote the FLF members to the Cambridge City Clerk. “Proposed changes to the Open Data Ordinance draft…related to the most important data in the City of Cambridge—the laws, legal codes, rules and regulations—appear to significantly undermine the City’s commitment to true ‘transparency, engagement and collaboration.’”
New York City Council Member Ben Kallos, Oklahoma State Rep. Jason Murphey, Montgomery County, MD Council Member Hans Riemer, and Washington, DC Council Member David Grosso joined Cambridge Councillor Nadeem Mazen in sending the letter.
The Free Law Founders are citizens, technologists, and public officials working together to transform state and local lawmaking for the 21st Century. Visit FreeLawFounders.org to learn more and get involved.
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Contact
Seamus Kraft – Seamus@opengovfoundation.org, 760-659-0631
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