Oregon Government 2.0

 http://pdx.wiki.org/Oregon_Government_2.0_bill

In the 2009 legislative session, Oregonians have an opportunity to take a significant ownership stake in their government and the work it produces. This web page will be used as a work space to develop a bill that will place works of state government legally in the public domain, and make them more accessible to the public in a practical sense.

Components of the bill

Public domain -
The law should assert unequivocally that works of state government are in the public domain, and are not subject to copyright protection by the agencies that produce them.

Spending -
The public has a right to know how government money is being spent. This bill should establish a web site that discloses contracts entered into by state agencies (like the federal USAspending.gov).

There is precedent for this on a federal level ([[wikipedia:Federal Funding Accountability and Transparency Act of 2006|Obama/Coburn act, 2006), and in several states.

Economic development -
Many policies and programs are adopted in the interest of economic development. However, there is rarely public evaluation of these programs and their efficacy. This bill should establish guidelines and procedures for evaluating economic development spending, and how effectively they achieve their desired results.

See Senate Bill 518 of 2007, introduced by Senator Vicki Walker, but not passed.

Innovation -
There are many public- and private-sector organizations (nonprofits, universities, Internet-based communities, neighborhood associations) that aim to work in the public interest. To the degree that government initiatives are available for scrutiny, these organizations may lend their own innovative approaches to the process. But when it's difficult to discern what government is doing, this sort of innovation is stifled.

This bill should aim to establish an environment conducive to innovation.   [see the above URL for more information]