GOVERNMENT OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA
ADMINISTRATIVE ISSUANCE SYSTEM
Mayor’s Order 2014-250
October 29, 2014
SUBJECT: Establishment – Open Government Advisory Group
ORIGINATING AGENCY: Office of the Mayor
By virtue of the authority vested in me as Mayor of the District of Columbia by section 422(11) of the District of Columbia Home Rule Act, approved December 24, 1973, 87 Stat. 790, Pub. L. 93-198, D.C. Official Code § 1-204.22(11) (2014 Repl.), and in accordance with Mayor’s Order 2014-170, dated July 21, 2014, it is hereby ORDERED that:
There is hereby established an Open Government Advisory Group (“Advisory Group”) within the executive branch of the government of the District of Columbia.
The Advisory Group shall:
A. Evaluate the District’s progress towards meeting the requirements of Mayor’s Order 2014-170, the Transparency, Open Government and Open Data Directive or any successor law or administrative issuance (“Directive”), and make specific recommendations for improving the openness and transparency of the District government; and
B. Recommend to the Mayor and Chief Data Officer policies to:
Establish specific criteria for agency identification of additional datasets;
Designate categories of protected data in addition to those identified in the Directive;
Ensure that new and existing datasets are regularly updated and archived; and
Establish the types of open formats to be used for published data.
The Advisory Group shall:
A. Provide a forum for agencies and the public to share best practices on innovative ideas to promote transparency, participation and collaboration. This shall include systems, process solutions, and new technologies designed to further the goals of the Directive;
B. Provide a public forum for receiving input on the goals of the Directive, including input from the general public, information technology entities, nonprofit organizations, and individuals that use government data, such as academic researchers and representatives of media organizations;
C. Provide a forum for sharing best practices and innovative ideas for engaging the public in agency decision-making;
D. Identify and recommend additional categories and types of government information that should be proactively published online;
E. Recommend to the Mayor and Chief Data Officer policies to:
Establish specific criteria for agency identification of additional datasets;
Designate categories of protected data in addition to those identified in the Directive;
Ensure that new and existing datasets are regularly updated and archived; and
Establish the types of open formats to be used for published data;
F. Review and evaluate agency Open Government Reports and provide recommendations on improving the content and format of the reports;
G. Review and recommend whether the terms and conditions applicable to additional categories and types of information published online should be changed;
H. Provide recommendations on technology and methods that District boards and commissions can use to work more openly, including best practices to webcast and archive their meetings;
I. The Chairperson of the Advisory Group shall publish the evaluation and recommendations on the Open Government Web Portal or create an Open Government Dashboard that will provide the public with both graphic and narrative evaluation information; and
J. Undertake other duties as assigned by the Mayor, or his designee.
The Advisory Group shall consist of fifteen (15) voting members.
A. The following members of the Advisory Group shall be appointed by the Mayor and shall serve at the pleasure of the Mayor:
The Chief Data Officer of the Office of the Chief Technology Officer;
The Chief Technology Officer, or his or her designee;
The Mayor, or his or her designee;
The City Administrator, or his or her designee;
The Deputy Mayor for Planning and Economic Development, or his or her designee;
The Deputy Mayor for Health and Human Services, or his or her designee;
The Deputy Mayor for Education, or his or her designee;
The Deputy Mayor for Public Safety and Justice, or his or her designee;
B. The remaining members of the Advisory Group shall be appointed as follows:
The Chairman of the Council of the District of Columbia, or his or her designee;
The Director of the Office of Open Government within the Board of Ethics and Government Accountability, or his or her designee;
The Chief Financial Officer of the District of Columbia, or his or her designee;
The Attorney General for the District of Columbia, or his or her designee; and
Three (3) public members who have an interest in government transparency, open data, and enhancing the public’s access to government information.
A. Public members of the Advisory Group shall be appointed to serve a term of three (3) years and shall serve until their successor is appointed. A public member of the Advisory Group may be re-appointed but may serve no more than two (2) consecutive terms.
B. The Mayor shall appoint public members to fill vacancies in unexpired terms only for the remainder of the unexpired time of the terms.
C. Members who are appointed based on their positions within the District government shall only serve during their tenure as employees of the District government.
D. The Chairman of the Council of the District of Columbia, or his or her designee, shall serve at the pleasure of the Chairman.
E. The Director of the Office of Open Government, or his or her designee, shall serve at the pleasure of the Chairman of the Board of Ethics and Government Accountability.
F. The Chief Financial Officer of the District of Columbia, or his or her designee, shall serve at the pleasure of the Chief Financial Officer of the District of Columbia.
G. The Attorney General for the District of Columbia, or his or her designee, shall serve at the pleasure of the Attorney General for the District of Columbia.
H. The Mayor may remove any member of the Advisory Group for failure to attend three (3) consecutive meetings of the Advisory Group.
The members of the Advisory Group shall serve without compensation. However, reasonable expenses of the Commission may be reimbursed, when approved in advance by the Office of the Chief Technology Officer, subject to the availability of appropriations for that purpose, and shall become obligations against funds designated for that purpose, when sufficient budget authority exists to allow reimbursement.
A. The Mayor shall appoint the Chairperson of the Advisory Group, from among the voting members, who shall serve in that capacity at the pleasure of the Mayor.
B. A quorum for the purposes of conducting business shall be a majority of the voting members of the Advisory Group.
C. The Advisory Group may elect other officers as it may deem necessary, and may determine its own bylaws and rules of procedure, subject to the approval of the Mayor or his or her designee.
D. The Advisory Group may establish such subcommittees as it deems appropriate. Any subcommittee must be chaired by a member of the Advisory Group although it may include members of the public and District government employees who are not members of the Advisory Group.
E. The Advisory Group shall establish its own meeting schedule, but the Advisory Group shall meet not fewer than four (4) times a year. Meetings of the Advisory Group shall be held in the District at such times and locations as are designated by the Chairperson.
F. The Advisory Group may utilize telephone or video conferencing technologies to satisfy the District’s Open Meetings Act requirements.
G. The Advisory Group shall, when practicable, webcast live on the Internet all of its meetings and archive its meetings on its own website or a DC Government website.
A. Each meeting shall be open to the public and shall include a period of time for the public to comment on issues being considered by the Advisory Group.
B. The Office of the Chief Technology Officer shall provide technical and administrative support to the Advisory Group.
C. The Advisory Group may, at the request of the Chairperson, request information or technical support from any other agency of the District government.
The Advisory Group must develop procedures to guard against conflicts of interest for its members. These procedures must guarantee that no member of the Advisory Group shall participate in any way in the consideration of decisions that are likely to provide a direct financial benefit to that member or otherwise give the appearance of a conflict of interest under District of Columbia law.
Section 4 of Mayor’s Order 2014-170, dated July 21, 2014, is repealed.
This Order shall become effective immediately.
``` ______________ VINCENT C. GRAY MAYOR
ATTEST: _______________ CYNTHIA BROCK-SMITH SECRETARY OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA ```