GovAccess#1v3: online political disclosures + online legislative info Jan. 31, 1994 [originally PUB.RCDS #1, Jan.18; #1v2 - name changed to reflect the issues; #1v3 - updated to delete obsolete information] This starts a new series of online Updates and occasional panic-mode Action Alerts regarding specific legislative and regulatory efforts to assure modern [online, computer-assisted] access to public government records -- legislative, executive and judicial; federal, state and local. Most of these postings will fit on one or two printed pages; some will be noticeably longer. ** Any time you wish to NOT receive further postings, just lemmie know and I'll delete you from the distribution list. ** PROPOSAL FOR COMPUTER-ASSISTED ACCESS TO POLITICAL DISCLOSURES NOW ONLINE I have finally found time to upload my Jan. 1st 28-page [printed] implementation proposal that has been circulating in California state and local political circles since ~Jan. 4th: "Computerizing Political Disclosures: Doing It with Minimal Cost and Maximum Utility." This details how to conveniently and economically computerize the filing of and computer-assisted public access to state and local campaign-finance disclosures, officials' statements of economic interests, and state lobbyists' disclosures. Local-government Clerks and Voter Registrars can implement it for a one-time cost of ~$10,000 (if they don't already have a spare PC). Filings and statewide public access for state offices can be implemented for as little as $12,000 for a minimal adequate system, plus perhaps $200/month for statewide access too all disclosures within hours of them being filed. (It is likely, however, that they may spend 3 to 5 times the minimum capital amount -- but will incur significant other savings in staff and resources and provide wildly-improved statewide services.) Copies in Microcost Mac RTF format are available by anonymous-ftp, WAIS, gopher, Veronica, etc. from: Internet-host: cpsr.org In directory: /cpsr/states/california/polidisclos File-name is: politdisclos.r3.RTF [~130,000 bytes] [If you are on the WELL, you can copy them directly from my home directory.] On Jan. 11th, I met with Deputy Chief Secretary of State Tony Miller and his staff, who had reviewed the proposal. They were enthusiastic about it, and projected that they will need little or *no* additional budget allocation to do it. It will, however, require some legislative authorizations and mandates. It appears likely that State Senator Tom Hayden may amend his campaign-reform bill, SB758, to add the needed language. FOUR BILLS INTRODUCED TO OPEN UP ALREADY-COMPUTERIZED CALIF. PUBLIC RECORDS Assembly Members Debra Bowen (D, Marina del Rey) and Tom Bates (D, Oakland- Berkeley) have introduced a total of four bills seeking modern access to California's computerized public records. Their offices and aides are: Bowen: 916-445-8528, Mary Winkley Bates: 916-445-7554, Rachel Richman More in future updates. Privacy advocates, please note: A "public" record, by definition, does NOT include personal information that is not public. SON OF AB1624 [Or "OFFSPRING OF ...", for the politically-correct :-) ] These notices are a follow-on to 34+ online notices regarding the 1993 California Legislature's Assembly Bill 1624 (by Bowen). Now Calif. Govt. Code 10248, AB1624 mandates that all California state legislation-in-progress, state statutes and the state Constitution be available via the Internet, without charge by the state. For antiquitarians' interest, those online notices plus other related postings are available by anonymous-ftp, WAIS, gopher, Veronica, etc. from: Internet-host: cpsr.org In directory: /cpsr/states/california/AB1624 The file-names for the May, 1993, almost-free implementation plan are: memo.final.mac_word [~77,000 bytes] memo.final.rtf [~73,000 bytes]. Mo' as it Is. --jim Jim Warren, columnist for MicroTimes, Government Technology, BoardWa email to jwarren@well.sf.ca.us.** >>Permission herewith granted for unlimited reposting and recirculation.<<