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2011 SUNSHINE WEEK NATIONAL WEBCAST

The 2011 Sunshine Week National Webcast will be on Friday, March 18th from 12:00 to 1:30 EDT. For more information, visit
http://www.openthegovernment.org/article/articleview/463/.  

The theme for this year’s webcast is “The Road Forward on Open Government.” The event will feature two panels discussing the Obama Administration’s openness initiatives being put into practice, including new policies on Freedom of Information Act and Controlled Unclassified Information, from both a policy and a technical standpoint, and what more we can and should expect the Administration to do.
 
The first national "Sunshine Week: Your Right to Know" was launched in March 2005 and will be celebrated in 2011 from March 13-19. Sunshine Week's intent is to raise awareness of the importance of open government to everyone in the community, not just journalists.
 
To view the webcast live on your personal computer, no pre-registration is required. Simply visit the Center for American Progress' events page the day of the event. If you have questions please contact: Amy Bennett, Program Associate, OpenTheGovernment.org, afuller@openthegovernment.org.  

Voters approved the Public Disclosure Act by initiative in 1972. At the time, the act included only 10 exemptions from disclosure. Today, there are at least 300 exemptions (provided by Legislative staff). Attorney General Rob McKenna requested a bill during the 2007 Legislative session to establish a Blue-Ribbon Committee to review all exemptions to the Public Disclosure Act on an annual basis. State Bill 5435 became law on July 22, 2007 creating the Public Records Exemptions Accountability Committee. The "Sunshine Committee" will make recommendations to repeal or amend exemptions to the Public Records Act. The committee will be chaired by Thomas Carr, Seattle city attorney.

3 of our members serve as members of the Sunshine Committee:
Frank Garred - Retired Publisher
Lynn Kessler - former Washington State Representative
David Zeeck  - The News Tribune

Click here to view a complete list of the Sunshine Committee members.
Click here to view the Sunshine Committee webpage
Click here join the Sunshine Committee listserv. You will receive information and updates via email.