Date: Wed, 16 Mar 1994 16:45:41 -0800 From: Jim Warren Subject: GovAccess.028: Access bills need support;capitol email-faxes;FEC online Mar.16, 1994 [I'm still over two weeks' behind in my email . --jim] &&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&& FOUR CALIF ASSEMBLY BILLS WOULD OPEN & ASSURE ELECTRONIC PUBLIC ACCESS AB 2547 mandates that records specified in AB 1624 are public records. There was some question last year whether the codes were considered a public record. This is an especially important bill to those people who use the electronic access to legislative data. [AB 1624 mandated that all public legislative records, state stautes and state constitution be available via the Internet without state charge.] AB 2524 mandates public electronic access to public records if the agency maintains such records in electronic format. The agencies are not required to put the data in electronic format nor are they required to buy equipment nor "translate" data to meet any special needs of the requestor. Whatever format the agency has the data is the format that should be made available to the public. Allows the agency to charge for the media on which the data is provided, just as they can for the paper copies. [Various agencies have refused to provide computerized copies of their computerized public records, offering only paper copies to meet the requirements of the current California Public Records Act.] AB 2525 makes those documents in which an agency states its position on pending legislation a public record, whether they are sent to a legislator or to the Governor. [The enrolled bill report is not a public record. The enrolled bill report is the final analysis on a bill done by the Gov's Dept. of Finance. Last year, DOF estimated a cost of $300,000 for implementing AB 1624. Bowen explained that their analysis was based on a merely-similar ballot initiative authored by UWSA, not AB 1624. Luckily, the Governor signed the bill anyway, but could have easily vetoed it on the false cost estimates contained in the non-public DOF report.] AB 2523 networks all state agencies and the judiciary and provides public access via network to public records. Support is needed ASAP. Opposition is expected on at least AB 2524 and AB 2523, the latter due to cost. If you have questions, please call Bowen's aide, Mary Winkley, at 916-445-8528. All the bills except AB 2523 were scheduled for March 15 in the Assembly Governmental Organization Committee. AB 2523 was scheduled for March 16 in the Assembly Consumer Protection Committee, with other committee hearings to follow. Send supporting letters and faxes to: Hon. Debra Bowen, Assembly Member State Capitol, Room 3126 Sacramento CA 95814 fax/916-327-2201. They will make sure they don't get, uh, "lost," and will distribute them to the members of the committees. [My apologies for not getting this out sooner. *Too* much to do. :-( -jim] &&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&& ASK LEGISLATORS/STAFF TO TELL LOBBYISTS THEY WANT TO ACCESS TESTIMONY ONLINE From masinter@parc.xerox.com Mon Feb 28 20:41:11 1994 From: Larry Masinter If you can get legislative staff assistants and legislative librarians to announce that they prefer to access `information that is online and available to the public', it might encourage various lobbying organizations to mount their own information online for the general public to access. I wouldn't mind having a Common Cause, American Cancer Society, and Tobacco Institute all trying to reach the public with their own web or gopher services. &&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&& FREELY FAX YOUR E-MAIL TO DECISION-MAKERS IN WASHINGTON DC From argek@dbserv2.teale.ca.gov Wed Mar 2 11:11:54 1994 From: argek@dbserv2.teale.ca.gov (Gerald J. Klaas) GovAccess readers may be interested in an experiment going at town.hall.org. They have created an e-mail to FAX gateway that is operating in Washington DC. (and some other places: > - all of Australia (+61) > - Washington, DC (+1-202) > - most of Silicon Valley (+1-408, +1-415, +1-510) > - parts of Riverside, California (+1-818, +1-909) > - the University of Michigan (+1-313) ) If anyone has a list of FAX numbers for representatives in Washington, I'd sure like to get a copy! For a copy of the FAQ regarding this experiment, send mail to tpc-faq@town.hall.org. Gerald | | ...... __o | BurmaShave | ..... _`\<,_ |____________| argek@dbserv2.teale.ca.gov______________________(*)/_(*)______|________|__ &&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&& FREELY FAX YOUR E-MAIL TO DECISION-MAKERS IN SACRAMENTO CA From rgm!rabbit!gklaas@netcom.com Fri Feb 25 14:43:19 1994 From: gklaas@rabbit.rgm.com (Gerald Klaas) Organization: Rabbit's Lincoln Burrow Sacramento, CA - I have created an e-mail to FAX gateway here in Sacramento. It runs on my home PC at night (during otherwise idle time) and is connected to the Internet by UUCP. Some of your GovAccess subscribers may be interested in using this gateway to "e-mail" State legislators here in the Capitol City, and are welcome to give it a try. (Disclaimer: No guarantees here, this is just a hobby.) - Anyone interested may get more information by sending e-mail To: request@rabbit.rgm.com Subject: 052 - BTW: I have a list of FAX numbers available also. &&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&& ONLINE LEGISLATIVE-INFORMATION ACCESS IN ACTION From leita@netcom.com Tue Mar 1 19:43:27 1994 > At work, two weeks ago, I got a call from a Berkely patron wanting to > know if we had a copy of a certain, recently passed bill having to do > with the funeral business. He had the number of the bill. I logged > onto the internet via our class account, gophered to UC Santa Cruz, > found, downloaded, and printed out the bill to leave for the patron - an > employee of a local funeral home - to pick up on his lunch hour. Took 5 > minutes! -- Carole Leita leita@netcom.com Reference Librarian, Berkeley Public Library &&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&& FEDERAL ELECTIONS COMMISSION SEEKS TO FURTHER ONLINE ACCESS From bkoball@well.sf.ca.us Fri Feb 25 10:16:23 1994 From: Bruce R Koball Did you see this: > FEC ON-LINE. The FEC is asking Congress for $1.5 million in fiscal 1995 to > set up an on-line system for tracking how political candidates raise and > spend their donations. (Tampa Tribune 2/22/94 A2) &&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&& ADMINISTRIVIA CREDIT DUE: CHONGO SPOKE; JIMMIE LISTENED From chongo@ncd.com Mon Feb 28 20:11:44 1994 From: chongo@ncd.com (Landon Curt Noll) First, I appreciate the GovAccess messages that you have been sending me on a regular basis. They are often both useful and interesting. I do have a recomendation that you might want to consider. I suggest that you add mode whitespace to your messages. This will make it easier to read. &&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&& "Politics is not the art of the possible. It consists in choosing between the disastrous and the unpalatable." -- John Kenneth Galbraith [sent by ppjc@igc.apc.org ] Mo' as it Is. --jim Jim Warren, columnist for MicroTimes, Government Technology, BoardWatch, etc. 345 Swett Rd., Woodside CA 94062; voice/415-851-7075; fax/415-851-2814 >> To join or drop the GovAccess list, email to jwarren@well.sf.ca.us .<< >> Permission herewith granted for unlimited reposting and recirculation.<<