Senate Passes OPEN Government Act

The Senate has passed legislation that would require agencies to make more data available to the public in a machine-readable format. The Open, Public, Electronic and Necessary Government Data Act, or the OPEN Government Act (S 2852), mandates federal agencies, when "not otherwise prohibited by law," make data available in a way that does not "impede use or reuse." It must also be free to the public, "with no restrictions on copying, publication, distribution, transmittal, citing, or adaptation."

That news comes shortly after various watchdog groups concluded agencies might miss the deadline in implementing another transparency-themed effort: the 2014 Digital Accountability and Transparency Act. That act requires major federal agencies to publish their spending data online, also in a format easily accessible to the public.