GOVERNMENT OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA
OFFICE OF THE CITY ADMINISTRATOR
Open Government Report 2014
To institutionalize a culture of transparent and open government, accountability, and to
expand opportunities for resident participation and collaboration, this Report describes
how the Office of the City Administrator1 has and will continue to develop and enhance
transparency, public participation, and collaboration. In accordance with Mayor’s Order
2014-170, this Report addresses the following topics:
1)
Transparency
Describe the steps your agency has taken or plans to take to be more transparent.
Please include a description of:
How and to what extent your agency shares information with the public, e.g.
publication of information in the District register and on the agency
website, press releases, and documents in the agency’s FOIAXpress reading
room.
The OCA routinely posts press releases, reports and other pertinent
information to the agency’s website (www.oca.dc.gov).
For example, the OCA posts on its website the Performance Plans and
Performance Accountability Reports for all participating District agencies,
dating back to Fiscal Year 2008. The OCA also provides links to 33 citywide
planning documents on a variety of topics (such as economic development,
transportation, education, the environment, and more). In addition, the OCA
provides detailed information and supporting documentation for several highprofile projects (such as the flood prevention task force, new soccer stadium
proposal, and power line undergrounding). Finally, the OCA has a website
dedicated to providing the public with detailed information regarding how the
District government is performing.
The Track DC website,
www.track.dc.gov, allows users to track agency performance measures, learn
more about agency budgets, and monitor agency spending. Track DC also
allows users to access Grade DC, ready citywide planning documents,
download agency data, and stay connected with the District government.
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The Office of the City Administrator (OCA) also includes the Office of Labor Relations and Collective Bargaining
(OLRCB), which represents the District of Columbia as the principal management advocate during labor
negotiations and in administering the District’s Labor Relations activities.
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The OCA does not typically generate reports, data, and other materials that
would be amenable to posting in a FOIA reading room. The OCA does,
however, honor FOIA requests that meet the appropriate criteria.
OLRCB shares information with the public with the agency’s website
(www.olrcb.dc.gov) and through responses to Freedom of Information Act
(FOIA) requests from the public, which includes the use of the FOIAXpress
reading room.
How the agency meets its obligations pursuant to the District’s Freedom of
Information Act and Open Meetings Act.
The OCA endeavors to respond to FOIA requests in accordance with the
FOIA statute and directives on open government. In addition, the OCA posts
information and documentation on high profile activities on its website,
www.oca.dc.gov, to reduce the need for the public to specifically request
information. Due to this, the OCA has a relatively small FOIA workload
averaging less than 10 requests per year. The OCA does not typically or
routinely take actions that are subject to the Open Meetings Act.
In addition, OLRCB meets its obligations pursuant to the District’s FOIA Act
by replying in a timely and responsive manner to all FOIA requests that it
receives. OLRCB is not subject to the Open Meetings Act because it is not a
District government agency that is overseen or advised by a board or
commission pursuant to D.C. Official Code § 2-574(3)(A).
Steps your agency will take to increase public access to information.
The OCA is spearheading significant enhancements to the District
government’s Open Data catalog, www.data.dc.gov, and Track DC websites,
www.track.dc.gov. In coordination with the Office of the Chief Technology
Officer (OCTO) and the Executive Office of the Mayor (EOM), the OCA led
an effort in Fiscal Year 2014 to redesign both websites, add more content, and
significantly improve the overall user experience. Additional details will be
made available when the new websites are launched in Fiscal Year 2015.
On occasion, and where appropriate, the OCA will use paid advertising in
local daily and weekly news publications. However, the normal method for
distribution of agency information is through the broad distribution of press
releases and advisories to local media, Advisory Neighborhood Commissions
as well as civic and business groups via direct mail and/or email.
The OCA is also working with OLRCB to update the agency’s website and to
make more information available to the public.
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Steps your agency will take, including an implementation timeline, to
webcast live and archive on the internet board or commission meetings.
(This question only applies to agencies that are overseen or advised by a
board or commission that is subject to the Open Meetings Act.)
Although this question is not applicable to the OCA, the OCA has taken
proactive steps to make certain meetings accessible to the public online. For
example, the OCA posts on its website (www.oca.dc.gov) video recordings of
the Flood Prevention Task Force and the Power Line Underground Task Force
meetings.
The OCA also posts to its website applicable meeting material, such as
PowerPoint presentations and handouts. For example, in 2014 the OCA
posted on its website materials related to DC PLUG, the DC Power Line
Undergrounding initiative. These materials included: presentations to the
Public Service Commission; community meeting presentations in Wards 3, 4,
5, 7, and 8; and the PowerPoint presentations for two (2) Contractors and
Suppliers forums. The OCA also posted a video recording of the most recent
contractor’s forum.
This question is not applicable to OLRCB. OLRCB is not subject to the Open
Meetings Act because it is not a District government agency that is overseen
or advised by a board or commission pursuant to D.C. Official Code § 2574(3)(A).
How your agency has taken or plans to take steps to make more of its data
available to the public.
In August, 2014 the OCA added six (6) years of performance management
data to the District’s Open Data Catalog (www.data.dc.gov). The datasets
included information related to agency Key Performance Indicators (“KPIs”)
for Fiscal Year 2008 through Fiscal Year 2013. KPIs are collected by the
OCA to track agency performance in accordance with agency performance
plans.
The KPI data includes 18 data elements, including: fiscal year; agency budget
code; agency acronym; agency full name; measure name; data type (formula);
measure type; directionality; frequency; year-end target; data entry by fiscal
quarter (Q1 – Q4); year-end actual results; year-end rating (%); and budget
program.
Further, the OCA is working closely with the Office of the Chief Technology
Officer (OCTO) to identify a significant number of datasets to publish online
later this year. If no additional datasets from the OCA or OLRCB are selected
to be included in this 2014 release, the OCA and OLRCB will continue to
work with OCTO to identify datasets appropriate to publish in 2015. In the
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future, requirements for open data reporting will be provided by the Chief
Data Officer.
2)
Public Engagement and Participation
Describe the steps your agency has taken or plans to take to enhance or expand
opportunities for the public to participate in agency decision-making. Please include
a description of:
How your agency provides online access to proposed rules and regulations
and secures public input on them. Please list links to specific websites.
This question is not applicable to OCA or OLRCB. The OCA and OLRCB do
not propose any rules and regulations for public comment.
Nevertheless, any proposed rules or regulations are posted in the D.C.
Register, which is available on the Office of the Secretary’s (“OS”) website
(www.dcregs.dc.gov). The OS website also allows users to search and browse
the D.C. Register, in addition to the D.C. Municipal Regulations, Mayor’s
Memoranda, and Mayor’s Orders.
How your agency shares information and resources to keep the public
properly informed, e.g. community meetings, public hearings, FAQs, and
ways the public can provide input such as Twitter, grade.dc.gov, email
contacts.
There are several ways that the OCA shares information and resources to keep
the public properly informed.
1. Website –The OCA proactively posts information and resources
pertinent to the agency and the government as a whole on its website
(www.oca.dc.gov). For example, the OCA website includes: agency
performance plans; a comprehensive list of citywide planning
documents; links to Grade DC and Track DC; in addition to specific
webpages to keep the public informed about special projects – such as
the new soccer stadium, power line undergrounding, and plans to
address flooding in the Bloomingdale and LeDroit Park
neighborhoods.
2. Agency Performance – The OCA keeps the public informed about the
performance of agencies by posting agency Performance Plans and
Performance Accountability Reports to its website. The Performance
Accountability Reports, for example, are an annual report that rates
whether or not the agency fully achieved, partially achieved, or did not
achieve the initiatives and performance targets in their Performance
Plan. Further, the OCA provides this information to the public in real4
time with its Track DC website (www.track.dc.gov). Track DC is your
resource as a District resident to track how the District Government is
working for you. You can track agency performance measures, learn
more about agency budgets, and monitor agency spending. You can
also access Grade DC, read citywide planning documents, download
agency data, and stay connected with the District Government.
3. Community Meetings – The OCA also keeps the public informed
about high profile projects by holding community meetings. For
example, the OCA attended and/or held several community meetings
on the proposed soccer stadium. In July 2014, the OCA also hosted
community meetings in Wards 3, 4, 5, 7, and 8 about the DC Power
Line Undergrounding (DC PLUG) initiative.
4. Twitter – The OCA has a twitter account (@DCGovOCA) to tweet
important information about upcoming community meetings, to
provide status updates on high profile projects, to share recent press
releases, and to re-tweet important information shared by other District
agencies.
5. Email – In 2014, the OCA added additional contact information to its
website to make communication with the public more accessible. For
example, in addition to emailing the City Administrator through the
Ask the Director feature of the OCA website, the OCA also added the
email address for executive and senior staff at the following address:
http://oca.dc.gov/page/oca-executive-and-senior-staff.
OLRCB maintains a website that provides information to the public and on
which the public can ask questions of the Director of the agency. OLRCB
also participates in public oversight hearings and roundtables before the
Council of the District of Columbia, providing testimony and answering
questions at these hearings and roundtables. These proceedings are televised
on cable television and are available on the Council’s website.
How your agency identifies stakeholders and invites their participation.
Depending on the project, the OCA works with sister agencies or private
business partners to ascertain the appropriate stakeholders. Through direct
contact, email and other means, the OCA establishes contact with stakeholders
to encourage participation and input on the various initiatives of the agency.
OLRCB’s primary stakeholders are the District of Columbia Department of
Human Resources (DCHR) and the District government agencies which
OLRCB serves (primarily agencies under the personnel authority of the
Mayor), in addition to a variety of unions and their leadership. OLRCB
engages these stakeholders through various meetings and forms of electronic
and telephonic communication.
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Steps your agency will take to improve public engagement and participation
including any new feedback tools or mechanisms the agency is considering.
The OCA will make better use of the various media tools available to the
agency. The OCA has a subscription to a news/media distribution and
analytics program. This program provides an enormous database of reporters,
bloggers and political or community influencers. The program makes contact
with these constituencies very easy through direct contact or mass distribution
of press releases or other messages.
In addition, the OCA will make much better use of the District Cable Network
(DCN). Although the OCA already works with the Office of Cable Television
(OCT) to record certain meetings for publication on the OCA website, the
OCA will work with OCT in Fiscal Year 2015 to determine whether or not
future meetings can also be aired on Channel 16.
This question is not applicable to OLRCB.
3)
Collaboration
Describe the steps your agency has taken or plans to take to enhance or expand
cooperation among departments, other governmental agencies, the public, and
non-profit and private entities in fulfilling its obligations. Please include a
description of:
How your agency currently collaborates with the above parties. Please list
links to specific websites if appropriate.
All OCA public-private partnerships are detailed on the agency’s website
(www.oca.dc.gov), including the DC Power Line Undergrounding plan,
efforts to develop a new Major League Soccer stadium and a multi-billion
dollar infrastructure project to eliminate flooding in center city
neighborhoods. The City Administrator also serves as the Chair of the
Interagency Council on Homelessness (ICH). The ICH is a group of cabinetlevel leaders, providers of homeless services, advocates, homeless and
formerly homeless leaders that come together to inform and guide the
District’s strategies and policies for meeting the needs of individuals and
families who are homeless or at imminent risk of becoming homeless in the
District. More information is available on the ICH website (www.ich.dc.gov).
Further, the OCA leads DC Stat sessions to improve agency performance and
accountability. Formerly known as CapStat, DC Stat is a focused, hour-long
public process aimed at driving performance improvements and efficiencies
within the government. The overall objective of these sessions is to cut waste,
save money, and better serve the residents of the District. During the session,
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the Mayor and/or City Administrator and other senior staff from relevant
agencies take an in-depth look at key issues. The sessions are designed as
collaborative problem solving and strategic planning discussions. Data for the
sessions is often derived from the Performance Plans and key performance
indicators for each agency.
In addition, OLRCB participates in several public-private partnerships and
facilitates inter-agency coordination through training, labor liaison forums,
and monthly telephone calls with labor liaisons and human resources
personnel. Other OLRCB-led initiatives include:
Annual Citywide Labor-Management Conference: OLRCB hosts an
annual conference to bring together significant local and national labor
and management leaders, District government employees, leading
arbitrators, and other stakeholders. The purpose of the conference is to
equip participants with the knowledge and information needed to build
outstanding labor-management relations by sharing information, and
by providing the opportunity for networking and a better
understanding of the roles, responsibilities and resources available to
these individuals.
Labor Management Partnership Council (LMPC): The LMPC is a
complement to the existing labor relations and collective bargaining
program. The program allows management and employees to
collaborate in order to help minimize waste, improve service delivery
and assist in the overall efficiency of District government operations.
The LMPC is comprised of agency heads, top management officials,
labor liaisons and labor union officials.
Labor-Management Task Force (LMTF): The LMTF is supported by
the authority given to the Mayor in the Home Rule Act of 1973 and is
currently working on reforming the District government’s
compensation and classification system.
Joint Labor-Management Affordable Housing Task Force
(JLMAHTF): The JLMAHTF is comprised of OLRCB and labor
unions representing Compensation Units 1 and 2. The JLMAHTF
was tasked with researching barriers to homeownership within the
District and with furthering affordable housing opportunities for
District government employees in order to encourage them to live and
work in the District.
Negotiated Employee Assistance Home Purchase (NEAHP) program:
NEAHP was the result of the JLMAHTF. The NEAHP program
provides financial assistance to certain District government
employees whose positions are covered by collective bargaining,
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specifically down payment and closing cost assistance. The NEAHP
program remains a joint labor-management effort between labor
unions and the District. The program is managed by OLRCB and
administered by the District of Columbia Department of Housing and
Community Development (DHCD) with the assistance of the Greater
Washington Urban League (GWUL).
Steps your agency will take to improve collaboration with the above parties
including any new feedback tools or mechanisms the agency is considering,
e.g. prizes, competitions, and other innovative methods.
The OCA is working with the Office of the Chief Technology Officer
(OCTO) and the Executive Office of the Mayor (EOM) to explore ways to
better collaborate with the public, open data community, non-profits, and
other organizations interested in accessing and using District government data.
The Mayor’s Order on Transparency, Open Government and Open Data
(Mayor’s Order 2014-170), for example, established an Open Government
Advisory Group, which will be formally establish in Fiscal Year 2015. The
OCA will work closely with the Advisory Group to evaluate the District’s
progress towards meeting the requirements of the Open Data Directive, create
new policies to establish specific criteria for agency identification of protected
data in accordance with FOIA, maintenance of existing data, and the creation
of data in open formats. A copy of the Mayor’s Order is available on the
Open Government website (www.open.dc.gov).
OLRCB previously made presentations to exemplary Labor Liaisons from
various District government agencies at a Labor Liaison Forum and plans to
do so again in the future. In addition, the Joint Labor-Management
Affordable Housing Task Force (JLMAHTF) continues to meet quarterly to
review the progress of the Negotiated Employee Assistance Home Purchase
(NEAHP) program and develop unique marketing plans tailored to the eligible
bargaining unit members, and to raise overall awareness of the NEAHP
program. The JLMAHTF will also continue to participate in DHCD’s Annual
Housing Exposition and host informational sessions geared to District
government employees. OLRCB will also continue to conduct road shows for
different agencies and union locals to inform District government employees
about the various homeownership programs that are available to them.
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GOVERNMENT OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA
Department of General Services
Open Government Report 2014
To institutionalize a culture of transparent and open government, accountability, and to
expand opportunities for resident participation and collaboration, this Report describes
how the Department of General Services has and will continue to develop and enhance
transparency, public participation, and collaboration. In accordance with Mayor’s Order
2014-170, this report addresses the following topics:
1)
Transparency
Describe the steps your agency has taken or plans to take to be more transparent.
Please include a description of:
How and to what extent your agency shares information with the public, e.g.
publication of information in the District register and on the agency website,
press releases, and documents in the agency’s FOIAXpress reading room.
Response:
The Department of General Services is committed to making information
available to the public and promoting transparency in all operational areas of
the agency. The agency posts in the DC Register all notices for all public
hearings related to the disposition of public assets and conducts public
hearings related to real estate dispositions as well as construction activity at
schools and other municipal facilities. The agency has complied with the
Open Government website requirements mandated by the Executive Office of
the Mayor and currently includes links to salary information, DGS contract
award actions, purchase card transactions, budget information, minutes to
meetings, organizational charts, performance plans, prior FOIA reports, and
staff manuals and instructions.
In addition to mandated information, the DGS website includes a variety of
other valuable information for the public, including a means to search for
information related to District real property assets and specific District
facilities (i.e. recreational facilities and athletic fields). The public can find on
the DGS website all information related to all solicitations for goods and
services as well as for the use of real estate. The website includes links to
DGS’ most recent press releases as well as social media activity.
The agency also now posts some documents of interest to the public in the
agency’s FOIAXpress reading room and currently has nine (9) documents of
interest posted in our reading room. We anticipate increasing these numbers
as we become more acclimated with FOIAXpress.
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The District, through the efforts of DGS, has pioneered the most transparent
building energy consumption database in the country. Commercial and
municipal buildings are the city’s biggest source of greenhouse gas emissions
and consume a hefty energy budget. Build Smart DC (buildsmartdc.com)
provides transparency and accountability by detailing, for nearly every public
building: energy costs, raw daily energy usage, building performance
comparisons, efficiency project efficacy tracking and by simply providing a
substantial and unique pool of information from which stakeholders can learn
and build.
How the agency meets its obligations pursuant to the District’s Freedom of
Information Act and Open Meetings Act.
Response:
The Department of General Services complies with the requirements of FOIA
by responding to every request in a timely and complete manner. During
fiscal year 2014, DGS received and responded to 98 requests, which included
approximately 267 staff hours. DGS, like many other agencies, recently
adopted FOIAXpress as the means to track FOIA requests. FOIAXpress
enables the public and DGS to track the status of each request. In addition to
FOIAXpress, the agency tracks the time and costs associated with each
request.
Steps your agency will take to increase public access to information.
Response:
The agency will continue to provide the vast variety of information
currently offered through the agency’s website, as well as continuing
our practice of providing quarterly outreach events and posting all
contract awards (including large and small purchases) online.
The agency is currently standardizing its real estate forms and other
transactional documents. These forms will be available online and
solicitations will also include standard forms or provisions for
transactions.
Smart DGS – SmartDGS is the web-based application available to DC
employees to report issues within District facilities. The agency will
continue to promote the use of SmartDGS as a means to receive and
track public and employee requests for services within District
facilities.
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How your agency has taken or plans to take steps to make more of its data
available to the public.
Response:
The Department of General Services is working closely with the Office of the
City Administrator (OCA) and the Office of the Chief Technology Officer
(OCTO) to identify a significant number of datasets that OCA and OCTO
expect to publish online later this year. If no dataset from DGS is selected to
be included in this 2014 release, we will continue to work with OCA and
OCTO to identify datasets appropriate to publish in 2015. In the future,
requirements for open data reporting will be provided by the Chief Data
Officer.
2)
Public Engagement and Participation
Describe the steps your agency has taken or plans to take to enhance or expand
opportunities for the public to participate in agency decision-making. Please include
a description of:
How your agency provides online access to proposed rules and regulations
and secures public input on them. Please list links to specific websites.
Response:
DGS did not promulgate rules or regulations during 2014. If the agency elects
to publish proposed rules or regulations, the agency will make such
information available on its website and create a separate email account or
other platform to receive public comments.
How your agency shares information and resources to keep the public
properly informed, e.g. community meetings, public hearings, FAQs, and
ways the public can provide input such as Twitter, grade.dc.gov, email
contacts.
Response:
DGS currently devotes considerable effort to ensure that community
stakeholders are engaged in the execution of large construction projects and
significant real estate transactions. This engagement includes multiple
community meetings with community stakeholders, ANC Commissioners and
contractors/construction/design professionals and also the distribution of
project documents to stakeholders upon request. DGS is actively engaged on
social media to provide information as well as to gather feedback and
concerns related to agency activities. Community meetings are conducted in
connection with any disposition of District real property and these meetings
include discussions of transaction terms and anticipated community benefits.
As another example, the agency meets with the Eastern Market Advisory
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Council monthly to address any concerns related to the management and
operation of the Eastern market. The minutes from these meetings are posted
online.
How your agency identifies stakeholders and invites their participation.
Response:
DGS is a member of sixty-seven (67) local listservs, which represent over
33,000 District residents. Being an active member of local listservs has
allowed the agency to continue to proactively identify and communicate the
agency’s brand as well as invite the participation of the community and
stakeholders by engaging residents on upcoming DGS initiatives, events and
projects.
Monitoring the listservs also provides the team an opportunity to hear what
the DGS concerns are in the community in real-time and respond in a more
timely fashion. Upon receipt of concerns the team works with sister agencies
and/or internal DGS staff to provide timely responses to resident’s concerns.
Steps your agency will take to improve public engagement and participation
including any new feedback tools or mechanisms the agency is considering.
Response:
In FY14, DGS will continue to implement and use web-based social networks
and programs such as Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Google+, LinkedIn,
Tumblr, Instagram, Vine and Pinterest to maximize outreach, solicit feedback
and enable consistent communication.
We will continue to grow our online presence on social media networks by
encouraging additional DGS employees to establish Twitter accounts as a
method to reach their prospective audiences.
All of our social media networks are used to provide residents with
information on upcoming ribbon cuttings, ground breakings, community
meetings, DGS public hearings, DGS initiatives and DGS solicitations to
name a few. The Twitter and Facebook accounts continue to be an avenue for
residents to provide positive and negative feedback to DGS in real time.
3)
Collaboration
Describe the steps your agency has taken or plans to take to enhance or expand
cooperation among departments, other governmental agencies, the public, and nonprofit and private entities in fulfilling its obligations. Please include a description of:
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How your agency currently collaborates with the above parties. Please list
links to specific websites if appropriate. Steps your agency will take to
improve collaboration with the above parties including any new feedback
tools or mechanisms the agency is considering, e.g. prizes, competitions, and
other innovative methods.
Response:
DGS has implemented SmartDGS, a web-based application available
to all District employees as a vehicle to report issues within District
facilities, and encourages employees of other agencies throughout the
District to utilize SmartDGS to report and track facility issues.
DGS works closely with other agencies throughout the District of
Columbia government to identify space and to address real estate
needs. This collaboration includes meeting with agencies to determine
programming needs, space requirements, proper disposition of
underutilized real property and minimum suitability requirements for
agency space. Agencies are actively involved in the process of
selecting prospective properties for agency use, from selection of
property to construction of tenant improvements.
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GOVERNMENT OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA
DEPARTMENT OF MOTOR VEHICLES
Open Government Report 2014
To institutionalize a culture of transparent and open government, accountability, and to
expand opportunities for resident participation and collaboration, this report describes
how the Department of Motor Vehicles (“DC DMV”) has and will continue to develop and
enhance transparency, public participation, and collaboration. In accordance with Mayor’s
Order 2014-170, this report addresses the following topics: Transparency, Public
Engagement and Participation, and Collaboration.
1)
Transparency
The DC DMV’s mission is to promote public safety by ensuring the safe operation of motor
vehicles. DC DMV is committed to establishing and maintaining a system of transparency that
increases the public’s confidence in their government. To achieve this commitment, DC DMV
has taken a number of steps to be more transparent, which include, but are not limited to, the
following:
DC DMV primarily shares information with the public through its website at
www.dmv.dc.gov, which includes more than 700 pages of information related to
services provided under its three operational program divisions: Adjudication
Services, Driver Services, and Vehicle Services. Additionally, DC DMV proactively
releases data related to ticket issuance and adjudication, revenue, etc. via annual
reports, press releases, driver statistics, links to the D.C official code and municipal
regulations, and ticket hearing dispositions.
DC DMV offers more than 40 services that can be completed online or through the
mail. By using these services, customers can "skip the trip" to our service center and
conduct DMV business wherever and whenever they choose. Most online services
are available from 6 am to 12 am, seven days a week. However, services such as
vehicle inspection appointment scheduling, is available 24 hours per day.
DC DMV provides customers with access to a host of online forms/applications from
vehicle registration, tag, and title applications to license/identification, legal, and
medical forms, which can all be downloaded directly from the DC DMV website. In
addition to forms that customers need to complete their transactions, DC DMV
provides informational brochures that explain department policies and procedures.
Some of the more recent brochures include: central issuance of driver licenses and
identification cards and REAL ID and Limited Purpose credentials.
DC DMV Service Center Waiting Area webcams are available on the DC DMV website
and allow customers to view service center waiting areas prior to visiting a service
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center from any internet accessible device. Images refresh every 15-30 seconds
during normal business hours.
For information that cannot be found on the DC DMV Website, the agency
encourages the public to submit a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request for
documents via the DC Government Public FOIA Portal at https://foiadc.gov/palMain.aspx. Requests may also be submitted by mail or fax. Additionally,
DC DMV has a dedicated FOIA Officer, who serves as the principal point of contact
within DC DMV for advice and policy guidance on matters pertaining to the
administration of the FOIA.
The DC DMV is working closely with the Office of the City Administrator (OCA) and
the Office of the Chief Technology Officer (OCTO) to identify a significant number of
datasets that OCA and OCTO expect to publish online later this year. If no dataset
from DC DMV is selected to be included in this 2014 release, we will continue to
work with OCA and OCTO to identify datasets appropriate to publish in 2015. In the
future, requirements for open data reporting will be provided by the Chief Data
Officer.
2)
Public Engagement and Participation
The DC DMV continuously seeks to create innovative ways to enhance or expand opportunities
for the public to engage with agency personnel. These steps include, but are not limited to, the
following:
The DC DMV shares important information and resources to keep the public
informed through a number of traditional communication mediums, such as
community and ANC listservs and meetings, as well as, social media
communications vehicles. Twitter and Facebook is the most common way that
customers communicate with the DC DMV. The agency’s Twitter (@dcdmv) and
Facebook (@DC Department of Motor Vehicles) accounts are monitored Monday –
Friday from 8am-5pm. The agency sends out a minimum of five tweets per day and
those same tweets are posted to Facebook such that the two are sharing the same
information simultaneously.
Customers have the ability to describe their experience(s) through grade.dc.gov.
This program enables the public to submit comments/feedback. The goal is to help
the DC DMV to improve the quality of its services. Additionally, through the DC
DMV’s Customer Service Survey Program, comment cards are used at each service
center for customers to provide important feedback regarding their experience at
the DC DMV. Most surveys are completed anonymously; however, occasionally,
customers may provide contact information and request a follow-up. In those
instances, a DC DMV representative will reach out to the customer regarding the
issue. The program is designed primarily to measure customer satisfaction and
95 M Street, S.W. Washington, DC 20024
Ph: 202-727-2200 FAX: 202-727-1010
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provide a forum for customers to evaluate their experience and make
recommendations.
The DC DMV announced the launch of The Parent’s Supervised Driving Program, an
innovative new program sponsored by Ford Motor Company and State Farm
Insurance that is designed to assist teens in becoming safe and responsible drivers.
The curriculum provides parents and guardians with a simple, easy to follow plan.
This free tool optimizes the 50 hours of parental supervised driving required for the
approximately 5,000 District of Columbia teens seeking learner permits each year.
On May 1, 2014, the DC DMV began issuing a REAL ID Credential and a Limited
Purpose Credential. FAQ’s, a Step-by-Step Process Guide, and a List of Acceptable
Documents brochure was developed and made available to customers by mail,
online, and distributed at each service center. DC DMV Administrators attended
Advisory Neighborhood Council (ANC) meetings and community forums to engage
and inform residents of the new process, and answer questions.
The DC DMV launched its Online Medical Referral Process. Through this process,
concerned relatives, medical professionals, members of law enforcement and motor
vehicle administrations have a formal process to report drivers whom they feel are
unsafe drivers due to a medical, mental or vision condition.
On a monthly basis, the DC DMV distributes an e-newsletter to more than 300,000
subscribers. The newsletter contains information about online services, DC DMV
policies and programs, and holiday closings.
3)
Collaboration
DC DMV continues to take steps to enhance or expand cooperation among local and federal
agencies, the public, and non-profit and private entities in fulfilling its obligations. Many of
these initiatives include, but are not limited to, the following:
In support of a federal initiative, DC DMV implemented a program that waives the
commercial driver license skills test for eligible former military service members.
The requirements include that the person be presently licensed; was employed
within the last 90 days in a military position requiring the operation of a commercial
motor vehicle; and was operating a vehicle representative of the commercial motor vehicle
the applicant operates or expects to operate, for at least the two (2) years immediately
preceding discharge from the military.
The Ex-Offender Program provides that DC residents released from prison within
the last six (6) months may obtain an identification card free of charge by
submitting an authorized letter from the DC Department of Corrections (DC DOC),
Court Services & Offender Supervision Agency (CSOSA) or DC Parole and Probation
Agency.
95 M Street, S.W. Washington, DC 20024
Ph: 202-727-2200 FAX: 202-727-1010
3
On a monthly basis, representatives from the DC DMV Adjudication Services and
General Counsel’s office attend an interagency meeting with the Department of
Public Works (DPW), District Department of Transportation (DDOT), Metropolitan
Police Department (MPD), and Office of Unified Communications (OUC) to address
mutual concerns regarding operations, policy, legislative changes, communication,
and customer service as it relates to ticketing and adjudication.
Representatives from Adjudication Services partner with the Court Services and
Offender Supervision Agency (CSOSA) to present information at its annual meeting
regarding driver license suspension, revocation, and reinstatement as a result of
DUI charges and other DMV driver license initiatives.
DC DMV offers assistance to members of the DC Superior Court defense bar with
creating presentation materials regarding DMV consequences of traffic convictions,
non-driving related drug convictions, and CDL violations.
95 M Street, S.W. Washington, DC 20024
Ph: 202-727-2200 FAX: 202-727-1010
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GOVERNMENT OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA
DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC WORKS
Open Government Report 2014
To institutionalize a culture of transparent and open government, accountability, and to
expand opportunities for resident participation and collaboration, this Report describes
how the Department of Public Works has and will continue to develop and enhance
transparency, public participation, and collaboration. In accordance with Mayor’s Order
2014-170, this report addresses the following topics:
1)
Transparency
Describe the steps your agency has taken or plans to take to be more transparent.
Please include a description of:
How and to what extent your agency shares information with the public, e.g.
publication of information in the District register and on the agency website,
press releases, and documents in the agency’s FOIAXpress reading room.
The Department of Public Works communicates daily with the public through
our Twitter and Facebook accounts, neighborhood listservs and through news
releases describing service delivery, e.g., holiday trash/recycling collection
schedules. DPW also conducts a monthly online live chat with Director
Howland and other DPW officials about various services.
How the agency meets its obligations pursuant to the District’s Freedom of
Information Act and Open Meetings Act.
DPW responds in a timely manner to all Freedom of Information Act (FOIA)
requests. DPW is one of many agencies using the new FOIAXpress software
to process FOIA requests and share information
This spring, DPW conducted two public meetings to receive community input
to inform the Solid Waste Strategy Roadmap, a plan being developed to
determine how to dispose of solid waste in the future.
Steps your agency will take to increase public access to information.
DPW is launching its Instagram site in FY 2015.
Steps your agency will take, including an implementation timeline, to webcast
live and archive on the internet board or commission meetings. (This
question only applies to agencies that are overseen or advised by a board or
commission that is subject to the Open Meetings Act.)
1
N/A
How your agency has taken or plans to take steps to make more of its data
available to the public.
DPW is working closely with the Office of the City Administrator (OCA) and the
Office of the Chief Technology Officer (OCTO) to identify a significant number
of datasets that OCA and OCTO expect to publish online later this year. If no
dataset from DPW is selected to be included in this 2014 release, we will continue
to work with OCA and OCTO to identify datasets appropriate to publish in 2015.
In the future, requirements for open data reporting will be provided by the Chief
Data Officer.
2)
Public Engagement and Participation
Describe the steps your agency has taken or plans to take to enhance or expand
opportunities for the public to participate in agency decision-making. Please include
a description of:
How your agency provides online access to proposed rules and regulations
and secures public input on them. Please list links to specific websites.
N/A
How your agency shares information and resources to keep the public
properly informed, e.g. community meetings, public hearings, FAQs, and
ways the public can provide input such as Twitter, grade.dc.gov, email
contacts.
DPW has a very strong presence on Twitter, Facebook, neighborhood listservs
and grade.dc.gov. Residents and others use these communications channels to
seek and receive information from us. DPW’s Solid Waste Education and
Enforcement Program (SWEEP) staff regularly attend community meetings,
special events, e.g., Truck Touch and other government-sponsored events, and
walk-throughs to share information about proper sanitation practices. As
mentioned above, DPW also conducts a monthly online live chat where the
public can interact with DPW officials, including Director Howland, about our
services.
How your agency identifies stakeholders and invites their participation.
DPW considers all residents to be among our stakeholders; therefore, we use
multiple means to engage with them.
Steps your agency will take to improve public engagement and participation
including any new feedback tools or mechanisms the agency is considering.
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DPW is launching our Instagram site in FY 2015.
3)
Collaboration
Describe the steps your agency has taken or plans to take to enhance or expand
cooperation among departments, other governmental agencies, the public, and nonprofit and private entities in fulfilling its obligations. Please include a description of:
How your agency currently collaborates with the above parties. Please list
links to specific websites if appropriate.
A prime example is the Snow and Ice Removal Program. The snow program
is among the District’s most integrated operations, involving DPW, DDOT,
DGS, OUC, DC Water, DOC, HSEMA, MPD, FEMS, and DCPS, depending
upon the severity of the weather.
Serve DC and the DC Office on Aging will assist seniors and persons with
disabilities with clearing their sidewalks of snow and ice.
Steps your agency will take to improve collaboration with the above parties
including any new feedback tools or mechanisms the agency is considering,
e.g. prizes, competitions, and other innovative methods.
DPW will conduct a joint “One Fund” outreach event November 14 with
several other DC government agencies to extend our reach to interest
employees in donating to the non-profits participating in this program.
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GOVERNMENT OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA
[DISTRICT DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION]
Open Government Report 2014
To institutionalize a culture of transparent and open government, accountability, and to
expand opportunities for resident participation and collaboration, this Report describes
how the District Department of Transportation (DDOT) has and will continue to develop
and enhance transparency, public participation, and collaboration. In accordance with
Mayor’s Order 2014-170, this report addresses the following topics:
Transparency
DDOT has taken the following steps to be more transparent:
Public Information Sharing
In addition to sharing various press releases, traffic advisories, notices about
forthcoming regulations and public meeting notices (discussed later in the
“Public Engagement and Participation” section), DDOT has made the following
user-friendly online tools available to the public, which increase awareness
about the agency:
• Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) – DDOT receives and responds to FOIA
request via FOIA Express; however, many requests are voluminous and
DDOT is in the process of utilizing the FOIA Express Reading Room. Last
year, DDOT responded to at least 300 FOIA requests and in the spirit of
transparency often waives the fees for requesters to obtain their
documents.
• DDOTDashboard – Provides data on District traffic safety, roadway
conditions, infrastructure projects, transit initiatives, operating budget
and expenditures and customer service.
• Track DC – Features windows into DDOT’s budget and operational
information, performance indicators, documents made available under
the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), website traffic and links to the
agency’s various social media platforms.
• DDOT Compendium – A tool that provides comprehensive information
about DDOT policies, procedures, and services in an online, searchable
format. The Compendium contains a variety of documents and reference
materials—ranging from regulations, federal legislation, and
transportation studies, to online permit look-up tools and FAQs—
organized by topic into summary pages that provide links to related
documents and references.
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•
•
•
•
•
•
Urban Forestry Administration’s GIS Maps – DDOT’s Urban Forestry
Administration (UFA) provides numerous geographic information system
(GIS) maps that feature data on tree removals, tree plantings, invasive
insect sightings, responses to severe weather events, etc.
CaBiDashboard – Provides metrics on DDOT’s Capital Bikeshare program,
including ridership; fleet performance and safety; customer service and
membership.
DDOT Permit Viewer – Offers information about permit locations and
permitted activities citywide. This application is available as a website
and as a mobile application for iOS, Windows 8 and Android devices.
DDOT Permit Locator – Features GIS maps and datasets allowing the
public quick retrieval of public space permit information.
Data Warehouse – Provides access to over 500 datasets from multiple
agencies, facilitating increased District-wide responsive and enhanced
organizational performance.
Feature Services – Delivers real-time data feeds of various DDOT service
applications.
Future Information Sharing Initiatives
Moving forward, DDOT plans to roll out the following initiatives to increase the
agency’s transparency and provide more amounts of valuable data to the public:
•
•
•
Interactive Project “Life Cycle” – DDOT is working with the Office of the
Chief Financial Officer (OCFO) to develop a platform to display the entire
“life cycle” of DDOT projects: from conception, through the procurement,
solicitation and award process toward the completed product.
Linking Office of the Chief Technology Officer Initiatives on DDOT’s
Website
Displaying DDOT’s Infrastructure Assets in GIS Format
DDOT is also working closely with the Office of the City Administrator (OCA) and OCTO
to identify a significant number of datasets that OCA and OCTO expect to publish online
later this year.
Public Engagement and Participation
DDOT has made it a priority to enhance and expand opportunities for the public to
participate in agency decision-making by taking the following measures:
Providing Online Access to Proposed Rules to Regulations
DDOT Routinely announces the release of new rules and regulations online and
via email and various social media platforms (for example, the “Publication of
Proposed Rules to Formalize the Public Participation Process for Service or Fare
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Adjustments to the DC Circulator” and the agency’s Curbside Management
Study).
Sharing Information and Resources
DDOT uses a variety of platforms and methods to share agency information and
resources to keep the public properly informed:
• Community Meetings – In addition to participating in community
meetings (for example, Advisory Neighborhood Commission (ANC)
meetings) DDOT has held several Ward-based meetings over the past
year (for example, in Ward 7 and Ward 8), and plans to hold meetings in
all of the District’s eight Wards in FY 2014. The agency also routinely
holds public meetings on various DDOT projects and initiatives.
• Press Releases and Traffic Advisories – DDOT issues press releases and
traffic advisories to its email listservs and then disseminates them on its
website and through various social media platforms.
• Social Media – In addition to email and website outreach, DDOT keeps
the public up-to-date on its various initiatives and solicits feedback via
Twitter, Facebook and its blog, d. dish.
• Grade DC – DDOT asks for the public’s input on its policies and practices
through Mayor Vincent Gray’s Grade DC initiative, and has received an
“A”-level grade in each month for the past year.
3
GOVERNMENT OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA
Office of Contracting and Procurement
Open Government Report 2014
To institutionalize a culture of transparent and open government, accountability, and to
expand opportunities for resident participation and collaboration, this Report describes
how the Office of Contracting and Procurement has and will continue to develop and
enhance transparency, public participation, and collaboration. In accordance with
Mayor’s Order 2014-170, this report addresses the following topics:
1)
Transparency
In FY14, transparency was a top priority for the Office of Contracting and
Procurement. The overarching goal was to build on the publicly reported data that
OCP currently shares to provide the public with better insight as to how OCP spends
taxpayer dollars on behalf of District agencies. For several years, OCP has made the
following data sets publicly available: purchase orders, purchase card transactions,
notices of contract award, and notices of intent to award sole source contracts.
In FY14, OCP started the following initiatives in an effort to improve transparency:
• In conjunction with OCTO, the agency’s website was reorganized to make it
more user-friendly and the information more readily accessible to our
customers.
• The OCP IT team created a link between the Procurement Automated
Support System and the OCP website to automatically publish awarded
contracts to the website. The training manuals and sessions for the staff and
the legal team are almost complete and the official rollout is expected in the
next 60 to 90 days.
In FY15, OCP will continue its work to advance transparency in compliance with the
Procurement Practices Reform Act of 2010 and to improve overall understanding of
the contracting process.
2)
Public Engagement and Participation
Rules and Regulations
The rules and regulations that guide OCP’s work are the 27 DC Municipal
Regulations and the Procurement Practices Reform Act of 2010, and are posted on the
OCP website here and here. OCP follows standard procedures for promulgating all
proposed rule changes in the DC Register for the 30 day comment period.
1
Stakeholder Engagement
The OCP Customer Contact Center (CCC) is the primary point-of-contact for the
vendor community and our agency customers. The CCC team provides general
information to vendors, technical support, and vendor education.
On a monthly basis, OCP offers two workshops to provide vendors an understanding
of how to do business with the District, namely the General Vendor Workshop and
the DC Supply Schedule workshop. These workshops provide a general overview of
the procurement process, the basic requirements for a vendor to meet to do business
with the District, and the application process for the DC Supply Schedule. OCP
partners with the Department of Small and Local Business Development to facilitate
the workshops.
In addition to the vendor workshops offered by OCP, the agency also participated in
over 10 community events aimed at introducing the vendor community to doing
business with the District. These events included:
• Councilmember Vincent Orange’s Small Business Summit;
• Greater Brookland Business Association monthly meeting;
• Fort Myer Small Business Roundtable
• Second Annual DC to Africa: Growing Local, Going Global Business
Symposium; and
• National Black Business League Annual ProBiz Conference, among others.
In FY14, OCP also targeted the Certified Business Enterprise (CBE) community to
introduce two programs that are growing rapidly:
• Surplus Property – The OCP Surplus Property program auctions gently
used furniture, office supplies and equipment, vehicles, and other items
that have been surplused from District government agencies as well as
provides District-based 8A firms and non-profit organizations access to
the federal surplus property program. In FY14, the Surplus Property
program organized three roundtables to introduce non-profit organizations
and the CBE community to the surplus property available to them through
OCP.
• Sustainable Purchasing – In FY14, another major project was the
development of sustainable purchasing specifications and policies to
inform some purchasing decisions. In December 2013, OCP, in
partnership with DSLBD, hosted 35 vendors at a roundtable to gain insight
and feedback from the District’s vendors that offer sustainable products.
In planning for FY15, the priority is to create more opportunities for proactive
engagement with the vendor community and other key stakeholders to educate them
on the procurement process and the programs OCP . One such idea is a reverse trade
fair, which gives small businesses an opportunity to market to District Government
agencies that procure their goods and services. Another idea in the works is to
promote our public facing programs through social media.
2
3)
Collaboration
In FY14, one of the Chief Procurement Officer’s priorities was eliminating silos that
impede seamless coordination between the procurement office and the agency
program. Accordingly, collaboration is the centerpiece of the procurement reform
initiative OCP has led over the last 18 months. In February 2014, the Chief
Procurement Officer announced the agency’s shift to the Delegated Procurement
Authority model to better support its customer agencies’ procurement needs. Sixty
members of the contracting staff were assigned to 22 customer agencies to serve as
in- house procurement experts. The contracting staff now works closely with the
program and budget teams at customer agencies to plan and execute their
procurement needs. OCP anticipates improved customer satisfaction and potentially
reduced cycle times and improved overall customer satisfaction.
In FY15, OCP’s plan is to regularly measure agency customer satisfaction through a
variety of survey methods. The goal is to make policy and practice decisions based on
real data and feedback from our customers.
3
GOVERNMENT OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA
OFFICE OF HUMAN RIGHTS
Open Government Report 2014
To institutionalize a culture of transparent and open government, accountability, and to
expand opportunities for resident participation and collaboration, this Report describes
how the DC Office of Human Rights (OHR) has and will continue to develop and
enhance transparency, public participation, and collaboration. In accordance with
Mayor’s Order 2014-170, this report addresses the following topics:
1)
Transparency
OHR has taken significant steps over the last few years to become more transparent,
and will continue to do so in fiscal year 2015. Existing transparency-related projects
and efforts include:
•
•
•
•
•
Providing case data via our annual report, which is also available on our
website at ohr.dc.gov/page/annualreports. Annual publicly reported data
includes: number of discrimination cases docketed by area and by protected
trait, average mediation settlement rate and monetary totals, number of
language access investigations and results, Commission on Human Rights
caseload and other important information.
Publishing our first report on progress of the Citywide Youth Bullying
Prevention Program, including detailed data and information about the
number of Local Education Agencies (LEAs) with bullying prevention
policies, the number that are compliant with requirements in the Youth
Bullying Prevention Act of 2012, and which requirements are not met by each
LEA. Additionally, OHR launched an online Know Your Policy web portal
allowing parents and guardians easy access to the bullying prevention policy
and primary bullying prevention contact at their child’s LEA.
Publishing agency information on our website, including all media releases,
all external reports (including our annual report, Language Access reports and
research reports), laws we enforce, internal personnel processes and
procedures, and complaint processes and procedures. We also provide
numerous facts sheets and documents to help residents better understand
office functions and work.
Responding to and providing contact information for Freedom of Information
Act requests, and making information available on our website at
ohr.dc.gov/page/opengovernment.
Posting all Commission on Human Rights and Citywide Youth Bullying
Prevention Task Force meetings on the website as required under the Open
Meetings Act. Additional OHR events not covered under the Open Meetings
Act are also posted on our website.
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•
•
Posting meeting minutes from the Commission on Human Rights open
meetings.
Working closely with the Office of the City Administrator (OCA) and the
Office of the Chief Technology Officer (OCTO) to identify a significant
number of datasets that OCA and OCTO expect to publish online later this
year. If no dataset from our agency is selected to be included in this 2014
release, we will continue to work with OCA and OCTO to identify datasets
appropriate to publish in 2015. In the future, requirements for open data
reporting will be provided by the Chief Data Officer.
In addition to continuing the above transparency-related projects, OHR plans to
implement the following efforts:
•
•
•
•
•
•
2)
Providing the number of inquiries made to the office regarding discrimination,
to provide a fuller picture of the number of complaints the agency receives in
a fiscal year.
Releasing more detailed geographic data about the cases docketed with our
office, including the number of cases filed by residents in each ward, and the
wards in which respondents are located.
Publishing our first Citywide Bullying Prevention Program annual report,
which goes beyond the aforementioned school-specific data to include policyrelated information on youth-serving government agencies and their grantees.
Increasing available information about cases before the Commission on
Human Rights, including criminal background cases, number of cases
certified for the Commission and number of decisions rendered.
Providing live webcasts of open meetings of the Commission on Human
Rights and Mayor’s Citywide Youth Bullying Prevention Task Force,
including archive webcasts of the meetings online.
Posting meeting minutes from open meetings of the Mayor’s Citywide Youth
Bullying Prevention Task Force.
Public Engagement and Participation
OHR has dramatically increased its public engagement and participation efforts over
the past year, and continued existing efforts, which includes:
•
•
Hiring a Community Outreach Coordinator focused on engaging the public to
educate them about civil rights in the District and to receive feedback on
OHR’s work and opportunities to improve. The Coordinator also attends the
meetings of non-profit organizations, Advisory Neighborhood Commissions,
tenant groups and other community organizations to explain the agency,
answer questions and receive feedback.
Increasing our housing discrimination outreach efforts significantly, with a
400 percent increase in the number of housing-related events, trainings and
meetings we have attended.
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•
•
•
•
•
•
Posting agency information, events and other engagement opportunities on
our website, our social media platforms and through our email listserv.
Providing information online and through social media about how to submit
information during open comment periods for revising regulations related to
the Youth Bullying Prevention Act of 2012 and the Language Access Act of
2004.
Developing new, innovative and efficient methods for reporting
discrimination by taxicabs, and single-stall public bathrooms that are notcompliant with a requirement they be gender-neutral. OHR partnered with the
DC Taxicab Commission (DCTC) to create a joint, simplified form for
reporting taxicab discrimination, and allowed people to file complaints about
bathrooms via our Twitter handle or by using the hashtag #SafeBathroomsDC.
More about the taxicab discrimination form is available at ohr.dc.gov/taxis.
More about the SafeBathroomsDC campaign is available at
ohr.dc.gov/bathrooms.
Creating a new general brochure that more clearly describes the agency for the
general public, and developing numerous fact sheets in multiple languages to
help describe the OHR complaints process, the Language Access Program and
the Citywide Youth Bullying Prevention Program.
Launching language support pages in Amharic, Chinese, French, Korean,
Spanish and Vietnamese, which provide basic OHR information and vital
documents in those languages.
Responding to all requests made via the “Ask the Director” email address
within two business days.
In addition to continuing the above efforts, in fiscal year 2015 OHR is considering:
•
•
3)
Creating new, more efficient methods for reporting certain categories of
discrimination complaints.
Developing additional FAQ sheets for our programs and for new laws we
enforce.
Collaboration
OHR has increased its collaboration with other government agencies and community
organizations in the last year, including:
•
Launching the Human Rights Liaison training initiative, bringing key staff
from community organizations into a full-day training to learn about District
civil rights laws, tips for identifying discrimination, and the OHR complaint
process. The training programs – which have trained almost 30 individuals
from almost as many organizations – aims to engage community organizations
in our work and provide them with the information necessary to assist their
clients when discrimination may have occurred.
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•
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Developing the joint taxicab discrimination form with the DC Taxicab
Commission and maintaining dialogue on how to reduce discrimination by
taxi drivers.
Conducting a survey to determine how government agencies and partner
organizations view collaborations with OHR.
Participating in the DC Taxicab Commission Disability Advisory Committee,
which brings together disability advocates, government agencies and the
taxicab industry to research ways to provide more accessible taxis.
Building partnerships with immigrant advocacy groups and direct service
providers. This included holding two events aimed at learning the needs of
those who speak limited or no English when engaging with government
agencies, and to determine additional services government could provide.
Engaging over 20 organizations and agencies from the Mayor’s Citywide
Youth Bullying Prevention Task Force to hold an event for parents and
guardians looking for tools and tips to prevent bullying among youth.
Conducting dozens of presentations and trainings for community
organizations and government agencies (such as the Office of Police
Complaints) to better educate the public about civil rights laws and OHR
functions.
In fiscal year 2015, OHR plans to:
•
•
•
•
Expand its Human Rights Liaison training program to incorporate more
community organizations and direct service providers from a greater variety
of communities.
Continue collaborating with the DC Taxicab Commission to determine new
proactive initiatives aimed at reducing taxicab discrimination.
Conduct a survey of partner agencies and organizations to further determine
the experience of such entities in working with OHR.
Create an “Ask OHR” social media campaign that prompts followers to ask
questions and provide feedback to the agency.
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GOVERNMENT OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA
Office of the Chief Technology Officer
Open Government Report 2014
To institutionalize a culture of transparent and open government, accountability, and to expand
opportunities for resident participation and collaboration, this Report describes how the Office of
the Chief Technology Officer (OCTO) has and will continue to develop and enhance
transparency, public participation, and collaboration. In accordance with Mayor’s Order 2014170, this report addresses the following topics:
Transparency
The Office of the Chief Technology Officer (OCTO) regularly shares press releases,
announcements, public services, and other information via several agency-managed web sites
including:
● OCTO Main web site octo.dc.gov
● DC-Net sub site dcnet.dc.gov
● Connect DC sub site connect.dc.gov
● DC Data Catalog data.dc.gov
● GIS updates via GovDelivery http://octo.dc.gov/service/dc-gis-services
OCTO also manages several active and engaging Twitter accounts:
● Twitter @octodc
● Twitter @dcgovweb
● Twitter @connectdotdc
● Instagram @connectdotdc
● YouTube @connectdotdc
● Twitter @DCNetGov
The agency also manages several online applications that provide valuable information to the
public including the DC GIS Mapping Tool, DC Public Wi-Fi Hotspot Finder, among many
others available here: http://octo.dc.gov/node/708212. These applications are regularly promoted
both online and through community outreach activities.
OCTO believes the vast amount of information available on data.dc.gov and octo.dc.gov web
sites contributes to the small number of FOIA requests to the agency. Information on everything
from purchase card transactions, current and needed contractor support, purchase orders, etc. is
all readily available.
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District’s Freedom of Information Act and Open Meetings Act
The Office of the Chief Technology Officer (OCTO) annually receives a small number of FOIA
requests for OCTO-specific information. For example, in FY 2013 the agency only received 14
requests with 4 of those were rerouted to other agencies with a 100 percent closure rate. The
OCTO requests were closed within an average of 2.4 days. The preliminary FY 2014 numbers
are following the same trend and will be fully reporting in early 2015.
As owner of the City-wide Messaging System for partner agencies, OCTO receives a large
number of requests for specific emails to and/or from certain individuals and/or containing
certain names or words. Pursuant to Mayor's Order 2008-88, “Access to Email Traffic of
District Government Employees”, OCTO is to provide the relevant emails back to partner
agencies to review and provide to requestor.
In FY 2014, OCTO fulfilled 528 requests for emails from partner agencies originating from
FOIA requests or litigation.
FOIAXpress Support
The Office of the Chief Technology Officer (OCTO) served as the technical lead and project
manager for the launch of Executive Office of Mayor’s (EOM) FOIAXpress system - a new
online system for submitting and processing Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests to
District government agencies.
The new portal, powered by industry leader “FOIAXpress,” is the District’s first-ever citywide
FOIA processing system. At its launch, more than 50 District agencies will be included.
Additional agencies will be added to the system in the next fiscal year.
The new DC Government Public FOIA Portal will allow requesters to submit public records
requests for any of the participating agencies to a centralized website. The requests will be
assigned a unique tracking number, and users will be able to track the status of the request.
The system will also permit the District to generate reports to determine whether agencies are
meeting their FOIA obligations in a timely manner. Further, it will allow agencies to publish
documents to an online reading room for information that is required to be made public under
FOIA and the Mayor’s Open Government and Transparency Directive, including frequently
requested information under FOIA.
Open Meetings Act
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OCTO does not convene meeting subject to the Open Meetings Act.
Increasing Public Access to Information
The Office of the Chief Technology Officer (OCTO) works with District agencies to deliver
transparency through our Citywide Data Warehouse and its Open Data Catalog. But this is not an
agency, nor an administration, that rests on past achievements. OCTO and the City
Administrator’s Office are investing heavily in a next generation Data Catalog to take the city
even farther than we are today in terms of transparency.
The DC Geographic Information Program (DC GIS), administered by the Office of the Chief
Technology Officer (OCTO), will utilize open source technology to increase public access to the
vast amount of information it creates and receives from our District agency partners.
In doing so, we hope residents can make more informed decisions about their government and
our community. The new site intends to make the District’s data more discoverable, explorable
and transparent to foster greater participation and collaboration with all stakeholders.
The new site is expected to launch in Fall 2014.
Track.DC.Gov
Originally launched in February 2010, Track.DC.Gov was lauded by open government advocates
and city fiscal watchdogs. The Sunlight Foundation even said “both substance wise and
technically, it out-athletes the White House's Open Government dashboard.” While it was an
innovation at the time, the site had seen little change or improvements and had grown stale.
The Office of the Chief Technology Officer (OCTO) has completely revamped the tool’s user
interface and added new data sets and subsets to give a more transparent view of each agencies
performance. Data includes:
Data visualizations are now dynamic and allow more intuitive drill downs into individual data
sets. The data behind each of the widgets can now be downloaded directly from the site.
The tool’s accessibility has also been greatly improved with charts and graphics now also
displayed in chart forms with clear text labels for those with disabilities.
The tool is expected to go live in Fall 2014.
Chief Data Officer
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In response to an executive order, the Office of the Chief Technology Officer (OCTO) has
designated an Interim Chief Data Officer (CDO) to assist in the deployment of the near term
milestones outlined in the Transparency, Open Government and Open Data Directive and to help
coordinate additional open data programming. In Fall 2014, the Chief Technology Officer will
identify candidates and hire a permanent CDO to lead the Open Data Program.
Open Government Advisory Group
As outlined in Mayor’s Order 2014-170, “Transparency, Open Government and Open Data
Directive,” the Office of the Chief Technology Officer (OCTO) and its Chief Data Officer will
co-chair a new Open Government Advisory Group.
The group will advise the District on improving transparency and helping establish strong
policies for managing data in addition to setting short and long terms goals to make the District
as open as possible. The group is also charged with monitoring and evaluating the District’s
progress in meeting the requirements of Order 2014-170.
The group will be announced in Fall 2014 and OCTO expects meetings to begin immediately.
All meetings will be open to the public and meeting time and location, minutes, decisions, etc.
will also be posted to DC.gov.
Open Meeting Act
The Office of the Chief Technology Officer (OCTO) is not overseen or advised by a board or
commission that is subject to the Open Meetings Act.
Public Access to Data
The Office of the Chief Technology Officer (OCTO) is working closely with the Office of the
City Administrator (OCA) to identify additional datasets that OCA and OCTO expect to publish
online later this year. We currently have more than 570 data sets slated to be available online on
the new Open Data site, we will continue to work with OCA to identify datasets appropriate to
publish in 2015 and beyond.
Public Engagement and Participation
Online Access to Proposed Rules and Regulations
The Office of the Chief Technology Officer (OCTO) is not a regulatory agency and does propose
rules and regulations.
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Information Sharing
The Office of the Chief Technology Officer (OCTO) plays a unique role with District
Government as we both provide the technology and support to our partner agencies to conduct
outreach activities and implement our own outreach efforts.
For example, OCTO oversees DC.Gov, the District’s web portal (see page 5 for details.)
OCTO’s web team assists agencies in publishing information about District agency activity.
Supporting Partner Agencies
OCTO has done a massive amount of work over the past two years to get the city closer to
completion of a major, multi-year project to upgrade the city’s web sites and platform to improve
how the District communicates with the public. Our web team migrated some of the most
complex and difficult sites during this period, they also worked with agency staff to update the
content.
The DC.Gov portal’s 100-plus agency and program sites generate annual traffic higher than
many municipalities and counties with comparable populations (e.g. Boston and Montgomery
County, Md.), with more than 14 million visitors making 29 million visits in 2013 (a 7 percent
increase in visitors over 2012).
DC.Gov website won first place for city portals in e.Republic’s Center for Digital Government’s
2014 Best of the Web and Digital Government Achievement Awards. DC.Gov was a Top 10
finalist in 2013, and previously won Best of the Web in 2005.
Highlighted several recent upgrades to DC.gov:
● The introduction of the portal’s new responsive design, which automatically adjusts to fit
the screens of any tablet or mobile device, positioning DC.Gov for the explosive growth
and use of mobile devices. For example, only 1% of the visitors to DC.Gov used a mobile
device in 2009, while almost 30% of visitors are expected to use a mobile device in 2014;
● Migration of almost all agency sites to the open-source Drupal platform;
● Significant improvement in resident- and business-centric navigation to make
information and services easier to find;
● A clean, simple design to improve visitor experience; and
● New help pages for non-English-speaking residents.
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The OCTO-run @dcgovweb has also been a major asset in distributing information and updates
from all agencies to a wider audience. It also provides essential customer service to public by
engaging residents with questions about the DC.gov portal or routing questions to other agency
Twitter accounts or websites. The account quickly gained nearly 3,500 followers and is growing
at a steady space.
OCTO also lead the District’s first All-Hands Twitter Townhall - using #dcgovwebchat and
moderated by @octodc and @dcgovweb - to highlight District government services and
improvements. There were than 62 users, 235 tweets and over a million impressions on 140,000
timelines. A number of agencies participated including DPR, DCRA, DDOT, HSEMA and the
Executive Office of the Mayor (EOM).
Grade.dc.gov
The Office of the Chief Technology Officer (OCTO) worked closely with the Mayor’s Office to
design, develop and deploy grade.dc.gov in June 2012 to provide the public with an easy,
accessible way to provide feedback on agency performance. Originally piloted with just 5
District agencies, grade.dc.gov now provides monthly grades on 15 agencies. In January 2014,
OCTO made the site responsive, making access to the information, as well as the ability to
provide input for grades much easier for residents and visitors.
Our Communications Efforts
OCTO’s Digital Inclusion Initiative (DII), branded as OCTO Connect.DC, functions as an
effective outreach entity and sponsor of community events and partnerships with local partners,
targeting specific neighborhoods to find ways to impact technology adoption and deliver
computer training, broadband access, and technology outreach to underserved communities.
Outreach activities include:
● Partner with local service entities like Byte Back and the Latino Economic Development
Center (LEDC) to provide computer training to additional District residents, bringing
OCTO’s grant to date total to about 8,000;
● Deployed more than 170 computers for public use in District-owned recreation centers,
senior wellness centers, American Job Centers, and a returning citizen resource center;
● Held numerous Mobile Technology Lab events, including 10 Smart911 sign-up events in
support of an effort by our friends at OUC;
● Went on the road with our technology lab in November 2013 with the DCHBX team to
help them with health insurance enrollment;
● Hosted Community Broadband Summits to promote broadband adoption and engage
community groups in our broadband outreach; and
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● Deployed a text messaging platform to improve and enhance our reach to specific groups
of DC residents.
While the grant funding is expired, we will continue to fund our digital divide outreach activities
with OCTO’s local budget to ensure that these important efforts continue.
DC GIS Steering Committee (GISSC)
The GISSC fosters communication and cooperation amongst the DC GIS stakeholder community
including District agencies, federal agencies, non-profit, and private sector GIS users in the
District of Columbia. It serves as the primary decision-making body to establish and implement
DC GIS policies and standards.
The Committee takes into account needs and resources while seeking multilateral input,
participation and support in defining and approving GIS projects, setting priorities and working
through timelines. The GISSC meets quarterly and the meetings are open to the public, meeting
agenda, minutes and presentations are posted online at: http://octo.dc.gov/node/702452 .
Stakeholder Identification
The Office of the Chief Technology Officer (OCTO) not only provides IT services to District
and federal agencies and community organizations, we are also active members of the local,
regional and national IT community. Our staff regularly attends and speaks at formal
conferences, public meet-ups, summits, community meetings and other events.
We want feedback on everything we do. We actively identify and engage key stakeholders who
can help us discover best practices, provide feedback on services and products, etc. We believe
that by being available, open and active stakeholders will also come to us - and they have.
Improving Public Engagement and Participation
In addition to the accomplishments and plans listed in other sections, OCTO is currently
reviewing and revising its communications strategy for both internal and external stakeholders.
OCTO is taking a data-driven approach to review web, social media and community relations to
identify gaps in communications and identify any potential stakeholders or partners that can help
us meet our objectives.
Highlights include:
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● OCTO is currently researching and testing an online forum feature that would allow
threaded, date-stamped conversations to be captured. This would allow for longer-term
and more technical conversations to take place online.
● OCTO is also dedicating additional resources to:
● Improve social engagement online
● Increase direct-to-public “in real life” engagement for digital inclusion project
● Streamline web presence
● Engage developer community around new opendata.dc.gov site
● Launch @opendatadc Twitter account to handle customer service support for new
opendata.dc.gov site
Collaboration
OCTO’s web team manages several cross agency websites that require collaboration among
agencies in providing information and services to the public. For example, snow.dc.gov is a
website that provides up-to-date information on snow events in the winter, including preparation
for a snow event and monitoring of snowplow locations during an event. This information is
provided by several agencies including DPW, DDOT and HSEMA.
OCTO’s web team also creates temporary websites during emergency situations, such as
Hurricane Sandy. These pages consolidate all information about District services and assistance
from various agencies during these situations, enabling the public to come to a single website,
rather than search for information on multiple websites.
8
GOVERNMENT OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA
DC TAXICAB COMMISSION
Open Government Report 2014
To institutionalize a culture of transparent and open government, accountability, and to
expand opportunities for resident participation and collaboration, this Report describes
how the DC Taxicab Commission has and will continue to develop and enhance
transparency, public participation, and collaboration. In accordance with Mayor’s Order
2014-170, this report addresses the following topics:
Transparency
The DC Taxicab Commission (DCTC) communicates with the public through
reports, testimony, press releases, letters and online posts as well as through
media outlets and industry stakeholders. Interaction and engagement with
customers, media and other agencies to provide updates and critical
information ensures a thorough understanding of DCTC services, procedures
and rulemakings. In addition, DCTC maintains the Freedom of Information
Act (FOIA) acknowledgements and responses; files research, collects data and
reviews records and performs redaction as warranted to fulfill the legal
responsibilities to provide feedback to inquiries and act in an ethical manner
to represent DCTC and the Mayor of the District of Columbia.
The District is committed to a transparent, open form of government. DCTC
makes certain records available online to the public (if those records exist). In
cases where these records exist but are not yet available online, DCTC is
working to provide them as soon as possible. Records available online include
the following: employee salaries; budget information; minutes of public
meetings; taxi driver Face IDs; DCTC regulations; DCTC purchases and
contracts; organizational chart; DCTC performance plans; methods to submit
feedback; and District-wide FOIA reports. The FOIA Officer can be contacted
for further questions. To understand the process of submitting a FOIA request,
please see foia.dc.gov.
Access to most information sought by the public can be found on the DCTC
website. Inquiries can be made online, by phone, standard mail, or by walking
in to speak with a customer service representative.
DCTC is undertaking serious consideration of the most cost-effective means
to webcast live and archive commission meetings. This initiative is targeted
for FY 2015.
DCTC is working closely with the Office of the City Administrator (OCA)
and the Office of the Chief Technology Officer (OCTO) to identify a
significant number of datasets that OCA and OCTO expect to publish online
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later this year. If no dataset from DCTC is selected in this 2014 release, work
will continue to determine if there are appropriate datasets to publish in 2015.
In the future, requirements for open data reporting will be provided by the
Chief Data Officer.
Public Engagement and Participation
The public is encouraged to provide feedback at regular General Commission
Meetings and Public Hearings on regulatory matters. The agency website
encourages feedback by having a direct link to “Ask the Director” questions,
and offer opinions or suggestions. In addition customer feedback includes
compliments, complaints, observations and suggestions.
Most comments pertain to industry-related issues regarding regulations, and
the clarification of rules and procedures. In addition customer feedback
includes compliments, complaints, observations and suggestions. Proposed
rulemaking is modified to respond to comments as warranted. Information is
also shared through community meetings, public hearings and online.
The mission of DCTC is to provide the citizens of the District of Columbia
and its visitors a safe, comfortable, efficient and affordable taxicab experience
in well-equipped vehicles operated by highly qualified individuals who have
knowledge of the District's streets, boundaries, history and tourist
destinations, as well as the basic tenets of high quality customer service. The
Commission strives to provide taxicab owners and operators with a system of
rules and regulations that are fair and transparent and that allow for
technological advancements to be introduced to the industry and for properly
qualified individuals to participate in the industry. At the same time, the
Commission has the statutory responsibility to preserve the economic viability
of the District's public vehicle for hire industry.
As the regulatory agency with the responsibility to oversee the public vehicle
for hire industry it is our statutory duty to maintain open lines of
communication with the public as well as industry stakeholders. There is great
emphasis on public engagement and participation to better inform proposed
rulemaking.
Collaboration
DCTC collaborates with several governmental agencies as well as both public
and private entities. The Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) assists
DCTC Public Vehicle Enforcement Inspectors with identifying illegal actions,
operators and vehicles. The Office of Human Rights (OHR) investigates
complaints to determine if the cause is due to discrimination. The DCTC
Legal Department works with the Office of Policy and Legislative Affairs
(OPLA) and the Office of the Attorney General (OAG) to prepare rulemaking.
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The Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) is a close partner that issues
vehicle license plates. The Office of Contracting and Procurement (OCP)
handles all solicitation for the services of outside vendors. In addition to
managing the DCTC budget, the Office of Chief Financial Officer (OCFO)
also collects the passenger surcharge which is the primary means of funding
DCTC operations. The Office of Chief Technology Officer (OCTO) oversees
and manages all District government websites and technical services. DCTC
also engages with non-governmental agencies including: attending quarterly
meetings of the Transportation Committee of the Metropolitan Washington
Council of Governments (MWCOG); the monthly lunch meetings with the
Hotel Association of Washington; the annual marketing presentation of
Destination DC; and the distribution of the Events DC event calendar to the
public vehicle for hire industry.
Every effort will be made to continue the excellent cooperation between
organizations. Yet, in order to better serve customers three new features are
being introduced. DCTC, working with the Washington Metropolitan Area
Transit Authority (WMATA), has developed the CAPS-DC program to offer
an alternative to MetroAccess that provides an option for customers to ride in
a standard taxicab without multiple stops and make a reservation one hour in
advance. Another new communication mechanism is the Taxi Notification
System. The recently implemented system provides a means for specific
venues to alert on-duty taxis of the need for service for large groups. We
expect to see a significant improvement in response times and vehicle loads.
Lastly, in conjunction with the Office of Unified Communication (OUC)
safety devices will be installed in all taxicabs licensed by DCTC for both the
drivers and riders. The safety device will allow police, medical or DCTC
Public Vehicle Enforcement Inspectors to respond immediately to calls for
assistance. This platform should be fully operational by June 2015.
3
GOVERNMENT OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA
DEPUTY MAYORFOR HEALTH AND HUMANSERVICES
Open Government Report 2014
To institutionalize a culture of transparent and open government, accountability, and to expand
opportunities for resident participation and collaboration, this Report describes how the office of
the Deputy Mayor for Health and Human Services (DMHHS) has and will continue to develop
and enhance transparency, public participation, and collaboration. In accordance with Mayor’s
Order 2014-170, this report addresses the following topics:
1)
Transparency
2)
The office of the Deputy Mayor for Health and Human Services publishes the
following types of information on the website dmhhs.dc.gov:
o Press releases and advisories from this office and selected releases and
advisories from agencies in the cluster
o Links to cluster agency websites and social media platforms
o Links to the most-often requested health and human services
o The names of the boards and commissions under our cluster’s purview;
those that have an online presence are hyperlinked
o The information required by the Mayor’s Order:
Public Employee Salary Information
DMHHS FY 2014 Proposed Budget
P Card Purchases
District-wide FOIA Reports
DMHHS Organizational Chart
o The special projects—Age-Friendly DC and Service Members, Veterans
and their Families—managed out of the office. The DMHHS website
summarizes Age-Friendly DC and links to the website, agefriendly.dc.gov.
DMHHS does not have any data sets. We are, however, working with agencies in
the cluster to identify the various data sets that should be made public.
Public Engagement and Participation
The office of the Deputy Mayor for Health and Human Services engages the
public regularly. DMHHS:
o Invites stakeholders for discussions regarding budget development and
priorities
o Holds stakeholder budget briefings
o Emails stakeholder groups to share information about Cold Emergency
notifications and plans
o Attends community meetings
DMHHS has created an extensive database of providers, advocates, and
others interested in the issues relevant to our cluster agencies.
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3)
For special projects, such as Age-Friendly DC and Service Members,
Veterans and their Families, significant community engagement plans are
developed and implemented which include activities such as online and paper
surveys, community consultations and community symposia and meetings to
gather information for strategic planning purposes.
Collaboration
The office of the Deputy Mayor for Health and Human Services collaborates in
all our work. Examples are:
o One City Youth: DMHHS works closely with the Deputy Mayor for
Education, the Deputy Mayor for Public Safety and Justice, and DC
Children and Youth Investment Trust Corporation on One City Youth. One
City Youth, started as One City Summer Initiative, is a citywide
collaborative effort to improve outcomes for children and youth ages 5 to
24. One City Youth has a website (http://onecityyouth.dc.gov/), blog
(http://onecityyouth.blogspot.com/), Twitter account
(@onecityyouth, https://twitter.com/onecityyouth), and Facebook page
(https://www.facebook.com/onecityyouth).
o Age-Friendly DC: The Age-Friendly DC coordinator works closely with
partners in- and outside of government. The most important of the
partners is George Washington University; President Steven Knapp cochairs the Age-Friendly DC Task Force with Deputy Mayor Otero. Mayor
Gray has requested that DMHHS write the Age-Friendly DC strategic
plan due to the World Health Organization at the end of 2014. The plan is
based on the Task Force-approved goals and objectives. Age-Friendly DC
has a website (http://agefriendly.dc.gov).
o Homeless encampments: DMHHS plays a coordinating role with five
primary agencies, and several others as needed, in implementing the
protocol to address and abate encampments on public property and to
connect the individuals with appropriate services and resources.
o Cold Emergency Plan: In January 2014, Mayor Gray called on the
government to better take care of individuals who are homeless during the
extreme cold weather. The focus was on those who resisted entering
shelter for safety. DMHHS, with the Deputy Mayor for Public Safety and
Justice and the City Administrator, led more than 20 government and
nonprofit agencies’ response. Over the course of the winter, DMHHS and
partners developed and fine-tuned a plan to care for homeless residents.
DMHHS took responsibility for drafting the plan; while DMHHS wrote
the plan, it reflects the work of various partners in and outside of
government.
2
GOVERNMENT OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA
DC CHILD AND FAMILY SERVICES AGENCY
Open Government Report 2014
Mayor’s Order 2014-170 seeks to institutionalize a culture of transparent and open government
and accountability and to expand opportunities for resident participation and collaboration. This
report describes how the DC Child and Family Services Agency (CFSA) has developed and
enhanced transparency, public participation, and collaboration and will continue to do so.
CFSA is one of several District Government agencies that make up the local human services
safety net. CFSA addresses the social issue of child abuse/neglect, serving as a first responder to
protect child victims and those and risk and to assist families in circumstances ranging from
struggling to in crisis. A small segment of District residents have direct experience with CFSA;
the larger population has high expectations for prevention of child tragedies. At the same time,
CFSA has an obligation to advocate for those we serve with the community. Having a child
welfare safety net at full strength depends on community members stepping up to report child
abuse and neglect, provide homes for children in need of foster care and adoption, and help
prepare older youth in care for adulthood. CFSA’s relationship with the public involves
performing to meet client needs and public expectations while also engaging the larger
community on behalf of District children and youth in need.
Transparency
On Line
CFSA’s official website (www.cfsa.dc.gov) prominently addresses areas of child welfare of most
interest to the public: how to report child abuse/neglect, foster or adopt a child, or donate to
children and youth in care. Among the wealth of information on line are:
An overview of CFSA functions.
A searchable database of all CFSA policies regarding child welfare functions, programs,
and services.
Current information about CFSA performance.
An “Ask the Director” link for public comments or queries.
A direct link to CFSA’s Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) officer.
CFSA is on Twitter at #DCCFSA, where the Director periodically reports activities and retweets
child welfare information of general interest. CFSA also maintains a blog that chronicles our
journey to make best practices in treating child trauma the basis of local child welfare practice.
Public Information
CFSA’s Office of Public Information (OPI) at 202-442-6180 routinely responds to queries from
the media and general public. Among typical requests from the public are:
Students of social work seeking information for course assignments.
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Local non-profit organizations in need of child welfare statistics to complete grant
proposals or inform strategic planning.
Community organizations wanting speakers on child welfare topics.
Child welfare practitioners, both domestic and foreign, interested in visiting CFSA to
learn about our use of best practices.
OPI freely responds to any queries that fall within the vast body of child welfare information that
is not confidential.
FOIA
CFSA receives approximately 16 requests a year under the Freedom of Information Act, mostly
via email (cfsa.foia@dc.gov) and through the District’s FOIAXpress system. For each request,
CFSA’s Office of the General Counsel (OGC) determines whether CFSA has the desired
information and whether it is unrestricted or requires redaction. The OGC works with each
requestor to provide as much information as possible within mandated time frames.
Availability of Data
The Office of the City Administrator (OCA) and Office of the Chief Technology Officer
(OCTO) are identifying a significant number of District Government agency datasets to publish
online later this year. If they do not select a dataset from CFSA to be part of the 2014 release, we
will continue to work with them to identify datasets appropriate to publish in 2015. In the future,
the Chief Data Officer will provide requirements for open data reporting.
Public Engagement and Participation
Identifying Stakeholders
Like all child welfare agencies, CFSA has six key stakeholder groups:
Clients—District children, youth, and families receiving services.
Partners/Providers—Other local public and private agencies that make up the child
welfare safety net; foster, adoptive, and kinship parents.
Oversight Authorities—Local and federal (including Federal Court).
Advocates—Non-profit organizations pushing for positive change on behalf of children
and youth.
General Public.
Employees.
Traditionally, the greatest interest in children welfare stems from the local child-serving
community of partners/providers, oversight authorities, and advocates. To communicate with this
strong core of stakeholders, CFSA:
Holds regular meetings and/or periodic briefings to exchange information.
Maintains and uses listservs to announce news, service changes, and other information of
interest and to seek input on rules and regulations.
Has one-on-one discussions as needed to address individual concerns.
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As a leader in the local child-serving community, CFSA maintains open lines of communication
with partners/providers, oversight authorities, and advocates. We regularly seek their input and
participation, and they freely volunteer opinions, raise issues, or give feedback.
Public Participation
Citizen Review Panel: In 1996, the U.S. Congress amended the Child Abuse Prevention and
Treatment Act (CAPTA) to require that states establish Citizen Review Panels. They are
supposed to evaluate state child welfare agencies and recommend improvements. In 2005, the
District passed legislation (DC Code § 4-1303.51) to establish a local Citizen Review Panel
(CRP) in keeping with CAPTA requirements. The District CRP has 15 members, eight appointed
by the Mayor and seven by District Council resolution, who serve staggered three-year terms.
Panel members must be District residents and cannot be District Government employees. CFSA
serves as staff to the CRP. The group elects its own Chair from among the members and submits
an annual report to the Mayor.
Mayor’s Committee on Child Abuse and Neglect: Mayor’s Order 2012-164 established the
Mayor’s Committee on Child Abuse and Neglect (MCCAN) to advise on child welfare services.
The Mayor appoints up to 11 non-governmental members for staggered three-year terms. The
Mayor also appoints additional members from 10 specific DC Government agencies who serve
at his/her pleasure. The Mayor selects a Chair from the non-governmental members and a ViceChair from the governmental group. CFSA serves as staff.
Internal Child Fatality Review Committee: CFSA’s Internal Child Fatality Review Committee
meets monthly to review the deaths of children, youth, and young adults who have died within
four years of involvement with CFSA. The CFSA Director appoints one community member
who serves at the Director’s pleasure.
Public Engagement
District residents have ongoing opportunities to get involved and join CFSA in serving people in
need in our community.
Foster/Adoptive Parent Recruitment/Retention: CFSA is always interested in licensing more
foster homes in the District. The orientation and training District residents need to get a foster
care license are ongoing throughout the year. CFSA emphasizes recruitment of foster homes
because in the long run, that also leads to adoptions. More than 60 per cent of adoptions of
District children from the public system are by foster parents. CFSA conducts continuous
outreach to keep the need for foster/adoptive homes on the public radar. Some key strategies
include:
Paid advertising on radio about twice a year.
Paid advertising in selected District-based movie theaters.
A website (www.adoptdckids.org) dedicated to adoption from the District public child
welfare system.
Partners for Kids in Care: This CFSA program accepts donations of goods and services from
the public on behalf of District children and youth in foster care. The program coordinates
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opportunities for the public to provide holiday food baskets and gifts and to assist young people
in foster care with back-to-school supplies, clothing for prom and graduation events, household
necessities when they go to college or transition out of care, and more. The 14-member PKC
board is composed of business, organizational, and community donors committed to supporting
District children and youth in care.
Opportunities
In FY 2015, CFSA looks forward to:
Stepping up recruitment of foster homes in the District via stronger overall outreach,
especially via social media.
Periodically targeting organizations and groups that need to know about CFSA’s online
training for mandated reporters (professionals required by law to report known or
suspected instances of child abuse/neglect in the District).
Building our Twitter following.
Collaboration
CFSA has two notable collaborations in keeping the public informed.
We participate in www.adoptuskids.org, the national photo listing of children available
for adoption through the domestic public child welfare system. It is sponsored under a
grant from the Children’s Bureau of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
The Washington Metropolitan Council of Governments (COG) acts as a regional partner
with the District and nine surrounding jurisdictions in recruiting and retaining foster and
adoptive homes. For example, through sponsorship from the Dave Thomas Foundation,
COG coordinates with local NBC affiliate WRC-TV 4 to produce the weekly
“Wednesday’s Child” news segment that features children available for adoption from
local public child welfare systems. For more than two decades, WRC News Anchor
Barbara Harrison has hosted this feature, which keeps adoption in front of the public and
has led to permanent homes for hundreds of children.
4
GOVERNMENT OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA
Department of Health Care Finance
Open Government Report 2014
Introduction
The Department of Health Care Finance (DHCF) is the agency responsible for the
administration of the Medicaid, CHIP, Alliance Health Care and other programs. The
mission of DHCF is to improve health outcomes by providing access to comprehensive,
cost-effective, and quality health care services for D.C residents.
To institutionalize a culture of transparent and open government, accountability, and to
expand opportunities for resident participation and collaboration, this Report describes
how the Department of Health Care Finance has and will continue to develop and
enhance transparency, public participation, and collaboration. In accordance with
Mayor’s Order 2014-170, this report addresses the following topics:
1)
Transparency
Below is a description of the steps DHCF has taken or plans to take to be more
transparent in the areas of: covered Medicaid services in DC; how to apply for
Medicaid in the District; the program policies for Medicaid and CHIP; grants and
cooperative agreements to DHCF; FOIA activities; and access to meetings and data.
A. Medicaid Covered Services Offered by DHCF in the District of Columbia
DHCF is the single state agency responsible for the administration of services
covered under title XIX (Medicaid) and Title XXI (Child Health Insurance
Program, or CHIP) of the Social Security Act, as amended. Covered
Medicaid services fall into two categories: mandatory and optional services.
While the mandatory services are the same across all states and jurisdictions,
the optional services are independently determined by each jurisdiction. The
DHCF website (http://dhcf.dc.gov/service/medicaid) contains descriptive
information of the Medicaid services covered by the Medicaid program in the
District of Columbia and how to apply for Medicaid in the District of
Columbia (http://dhcf.dc.gov/page/medical-assistance-programs-informationand-eligibility).
DHCF intends to also provide a link to the CMS website that will allow DC
residents to identify and compare the services offered by Medicaid agencies in
other jurisdictions to those offered by DC (http://www.medicaid.gov/stateresource-center/medicaid-state-plan-amendments/medicaid-state-planamendments.html).
B. Medicaid and CHIP Program Policies
DHCF
Open Government Report 2014
Page 1 of 6
DHCF maintains on its website an electronic copy of the Medicaid State Plan
(http://dhcf.dc.gov/page/dhcf-medicaid-regulations) that contains all of the
policies for the Medicaid program. A Medicaid State Plan is an agreement
between a state (or other jurisdiction, like the District) and the Federal
government describing how the jurisdiction administers its Medicaid
program. In DC, CHIP is accomplished through a Medicaid expansion and a
copy of the CHIP Plan and Amendments is available on the Federal Website
(http://medicaid.gov/Medicaid-CHIP-Program-Information/ByTopics/Childrens-Health-Insurance-Program-CHIP/CHIP-State-ProgramInformation.html?filterBy=District of Columbia). The Plans provide an
assurance that a jurisdiction will abide by Federal rules and may claim
Federal matching funds for its program activities. The State Plan sets out
groups of individuals to be covered, services to be provided, methodologies
for providers to be reimbursed and the administrative activities that are
currently approved for that jurisdiction.
Changes to the State Plan are done through the State Plan Amendment (SPA)
Process and must be ultimately approved by the Centers for Medicare and
Medicaid Services (CMS). Before DHCF submits a SPA to CMS, DHCF
publishes the proposed SPA in the District Register to allow for comments by
affected parties (http://www.dcregs.dc.gov/). Copies of local rule-making that
support the State Plan Amendments are also published in the District Register
for public comment before approval.
Transmittals are documents that provide guidance to the enrolled providers
or services to Medicaid beneficiaries. DHCF shares copies of our
Transmittals on our website (http://dhcf.dc.gov/page/2014-dhcf-medicaidupdates) so they are accessible to all providers and consumers of services, as
well as the general public.
DHCF intends to provide a link on our website to the CMS website where
providers and consumers can compare policy documents from other Medicaid
State Agencies in other jurisdictions (http://medicaid.gov/Medicaid-CHIPProgram-Information/By-State/By-State.html) to the District’s policy
documents.
C. Medicaid Grants and Cooperative Agreements
DHCF has been the recipient of several federal grants and cooperative
agreements over the past five years in the areas of health information
exchange, health information technology, health insurance exchange
planning and health care reform. DHCF announces the award of these
through press releases coordinated through the Executive Office of the Mayor
(EOM).
For some of the grants and cooperative agreements, funds were included to
pay for information dissemination activities to let the public know what
activities transpired or were being planned in the grant or cooperative
agreement. Activities such as the HIE Stakeholder Summit
(September 2014) provided an opportunity to share accomplishments and
future plans of the cooperative agreement at a local Summit conducted by
DHCF at no charge to the participants.
D. Freedom of Information and FOIAXpress Reading Room Activities
DHCF is committed to a transparent and open form of government. The
agency makes certain records available online through its website
(www.dhcf.dc.gov), including public employee salary information, fiscal year
budget, policy statements, and numerous frequently requested public records.
In addition, publically released documents can be accessed via the DC
Government’s Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) Reading Room
(https://foia-dc.gov/palMain.aspx). For records that are not available online
the public is invited to submit a FOIA request through the DC government
Public FOIA Portal (https://foia-dc.gov/palMain.aspx).
DHCF complies with all the legal requirements of FOIA. When the FOIA
Officer receives a FOIA request he informs the requestor that it has been
received and that the agency has 15 business days to respond. The request is
then evaluated to ensure that it is seeking information that falls within FOIA’s
disclosure requirements. It is important to note that FOIA only applies to
documents already in existence; no new records are to be created in response
to a FOIA request. The request is then funneled to the appropriate agency
representative to collect the necessary documentation. If the documents
requested exist they are collected and evaluated to determine if they fall
within any of the statutorily listed exemptions, such as trade secrets, personal
information that would constitute an invasion of privacy, investigatory
records compiled for law enforcement purposes, etc. (see D.C. Municipal
Regulations Title I, 1-406 (2014)). If the documents do not fall within any
exemption then they are sent to the requestor, either electronically or through
the U.S. postal service.
DHCF is committed to open and transparent government. It will continue to
strive to provide the public with access to relevant information concerning the
agency’s operations.
E. Open Meeting Act Activities
DHCF
DHCF has one advisory board (DC HIE Advisory Board) whose members are
appointed and sworn in through the Mayor’s Office of Boards and
Commissions. DHCF also has two advisory committees (the Medical Care
Advisory Committee and the Pharmacy and Therapeutics Committee), and an
advisory council (Ombudsman Advisory Council) whose members are
appointed by the State Medicaid Director, or by their designee. These groups
provide advice to the agency in a number of areas: Health Information
Exchange, Medical Care Services, Pharmacy and Therapeutics, and
Insurance Advocacy. Notices of the meetings are posted in advance and the
meetings are open to the public.
Open Government Report 2014
Page 3 of 6
DHCF is exploring the technology and logistics requirements that would be
necessary in order to webcast the advisory board meetings and archive the
past meetings for public consumption.
F. Access to Medicaid Data
2)
As a covered entity under HIPAA, DHCF has a mandated responsibility to
protect the privacy and security of beneficiary information. However DHCF
can provide aggregate and de-identified data to interested parties.
The Division of Analytics and Policy Research (DAPR), within the Health
Care Policy and Research Administration (HCPRA) at DHCF, regularly
produces data snapshots on recent analyses of costs and utilization of
Medicaid services among beneficiaries in the District of Columbia. Snapshots
recently posted to the DHCF website have covered a variety of topics,
including insurance coverage levels among children in the District; the effect
of the Medicaid expansion on Medicaid Managed Care enrollment; and the
cost of Mental Health Rehabilitation Services (MHRS). By sharing these
snapshots on the DHCF website, the agency seeks to engage the public
interest in timely health care policy issues, and provide a transparent view of
the work DHCF conducts to serve Medicaid beneficiaries of the District of
Columbia.
DHCF is working closely with the Office of the City Administrator (OCA) and
the Office of the Chief Technology Officer (OCTO) to identify a significant
number of datasets that OCA and OCTO expect to publish online later this
year. If no dataset from DHCF is selected to be included in this 2014 release,
we will continue to work with OCA and OCTO to identify datasets
appropriate to publish in 2015. In the future, requirements for open data
reporting will be provided by the DHCF Chief Data Officer.
Public Engagement and Participation
To enhance or expand opportunities for the public to participate in agency decisionmaking, DHCF has taken the following steps:
For the SPA-related documents and Transmittals that were previously
discussed under Transparency, DHCF currently uses the District Register’s
public comment process to provide for public engagement, participation and
input on the approval process for these policy documents. URL:
http://lims.dccouncil.us/
DHCF publishes on its website (http://dhcf.dc.gov/) advance notices of public
meetings of: the Medical Care Advisory Committee (MCAC), DC HIE
Advisory Board, and the Pharmacy and Therapeutics Committee, and the
Ombudsman’s Advisory Council. Minutes are taken at these meetings and
can, in most instances, be made available to the public, on request.
The MCAC holds a standing monthly meeting to share DHCF program
initiatives and to obtain public and stakeholder input. DHCF maintains both
3)
Facebook and Twitter accounts and links to them through the DHCF website
for social media interactions. DHCF also participates in the “Ask the
Director” program to answer questions from the public posted to the website.
For the existing committees and advisory boards, suggestions for additional
stakeholders often come from the current stakeholders or externally from
individuals who self-refer after learning about the group. Additional
participation can also come in the form of ad-hoc working groups or tasks
forces that are augmented by participants who are not formally on the full
board or committee.
Collaboration
DHCF has taken or plans to take the following steps to enhance or expand
cooperation among departments, other governmental agencies, the public, and nonprofit and private entities to fulfill our mission:
A. Intergovernmental Collaboration
DHCF
DHCF works with DHS and the DCHBX on a multi-year project to design
and deploy a new integrated eligibility system for health and human services
programs. The system is called the DC ACCESS SYSTEM or DCAS. During
the first phase of the project, DHCF, DHS and DCHBX developed the needed
functionality to automate and streamline eligibility for Medicaid and the DC
Health Benefits Exchange in compliance with the Affordable Care Act and to
build the health benefits website, DC Healthlink. DHCF and DHS continue to
work together to automate and streamline eligibility for all remaining health
and human services programs.
DHCF has several intergovernmental collaborations with sister agencies for
the purpose of improving the delivery of services to Medicaid beneficiaries to
ultimately improve health care outcomes and/or the quality of life. Current
collaborations include DOH, DOC, DYRS, DBH, DCOA, CFSA, OSSE,
DCPS, DDS, and DDOE on public health or health care delivery projects.
DHCF has collaborated with DOH on health information technology (IT)
projects that enable the improved collection of health care information for
public health purposes. The collaboration involved joint participation on an
advisory board and providing a sub-grant from DHCF to DOH to pay for
health IT upgrades to DOH systems.
DHCF is collaborating with DBH on a Medicaid health homes project to
improve the services delivered to Medicaid beneficiaries with severe mental
illness (SMI). This collaboration involved the drafting a Medicaid Health
Homes State Plan Amendment to finance the services.
DHCF, DDS, DCOA, DBH and DHS also successfully collaborated on a
planning grant to the US. Administration for Community Living (ACL) to
develop a No Wrong Door, streamlined referral and eligibility system for
individuals seeking access to long-term care services and supports. The focus
Open Government Report 2014
Page 5 of 6
of the grant is to strengthen the services offered by the ADRC and to build
upon the functionality of DCAS.
B. Private Sector Provider Collaboration
DHCF used federal funding from an Office of the National Coordinator
(ONC) cooperative agreement to fund sub-grants for six District hospitals to
participate in a regional project for an electronic Encounter Notification
System (ENS) which alerts physicians when their patients transition to a
different health care setting.
DHCF is exploring private sector collaborations with evolving
Accountable Care Organizations (ACOs) and ACO-like entities to improve
the capabilities of these organizations to do care coordination, which will
allow more effective utilization of scarce health care resources. Some of these
collaborations are not just intra-District but may involve regional
collaborations with providers in Maryland locations.
DHCF will also explore ways to inform the public of these collaborations and
how the collaborations can positively affect the health outcomes of consumer
members and beneficiaries.
C. Academic Collaboration
DHCF is collaborating with George Washington University (GWU) on a
federally funded grant GWU received to evaluate the use of mobile
technologies and integrated care systems. This collaboration will involve
data sharing and analysis of linked data to determine the impact of
technology on selected health outcomes. Another public sector agency will be
involved in this collaboration as well.
DHCF will be examining new tools in data collaboration to help improve the
timely communication of progress in the analysis of the data and the accurate
interpretation of research implications.
Conclusion
DHCF intends to update this Open Government Report annually to include new and
emerging initiatives that demonstrate transparency, engagement, and collaboration in the
agency and that would be of interest to our stakeholders and to the public at large.
GOVERNMENT OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA
DEPARTMENT OF HUMAN SERVICES
Open Government Report 2014
Transparency
The Department of Human Services (DHS) provides the public with complete
information regarding the operation of the agency and the activities of its employees as
contemplated by the District of Columbia Freedom of Information Act (FOIA).
Therefore, pertinent agency information is posted to the DHS website. These documents
include, but are not limited to:
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Applications to determine eligibility for benefits
Agency performance documents
Press releases regarding events and major occurrences related to human services
generated by DHS, the Deputy Mayor for Health and Human Services (DMHHS),
related sister agencies and the Executive Office of the Mayor
Temporary Assistance for Needy Families updates and information regarding all
DHS Service Centers
Documents related to serving homeless communities
Feature stories about program success stories
Newsletters
Documents pertinent to the FOIA Xpress Reading Room
The DHS web site also contains information about the Interagency Council on
Homelessness (ICH).
FOIA
DHS diligently works to issue a final response to each FOIA within the statutorily
mandated 15-day period. In issuing its FOIA responses, the FOIA Officer within DHS
reviews documents and determines what can be released to the public. The FOIA Officer
is careful to alert requesters to the fact that much of the information contained within the
agency is confidential due to the vulnerable citizens that DHS serves and privacy laws.
The FOIA Officer provides agency responses electronically, via email, US mail, or the
requester may schedule a time to review documents in person.
Public Engagement and Participation
In order to increase public access to information DHS will continue to post pertinent
documents to the DHS and related websites, and ensure that partnering community-based
organizations are provided with access to DHS documents, press releases, and policies in
general.
1
In order to provide online access to proposed rules and regulations, DHS posts the
information to the DHS website and solicits feedback through email or by mail.
Additionally at least one public focus group session is held in order to gain feedback.
Examples of published rules are listed below:
Notice of Emergency Rule Making: TANF Payment Levels
SNAP Eligibility
Shifting from DC Healthcare Alliance to Medicaid Eligibility Rules
DHS actively shares information with customers and constituents primarily through
direct mail, community engagement meetings and events, participation in public hearings
through Executive testimony, public service messaging on local Comcast programming,
and by developing and disseminating community-based materials such as:
•
•
•
•
•
•
Brochures
Fact Sheets
FAQ’s
Press Releases
Posters
Videos in all DHS Service Centers
For the months that lend to hypothermic conditions, DHS increases outreach efforts by:
•
•
•
•
Distributing cards that feature the hypothermia hotline number and each shelter
address and pick-up locations to the network of homeless service providers and
other strategic community locations
Purchasing advertising space in local, community-based newspapers and radio
stations
Partnering with WMATA to display ads on the sides of Metro buses providing
instructions regarding helping homeless individuals and the hypothermia hotline
number
Alerting local media and updating the DHS web site during a hypothermia or
hyperthermia alert.
The Department is currently in the planning stages of launching a social media presence
to communicate with customers and stakeholders via Facebook and Twitter.
DHS is working closely with the Office of the City Administrator (OCA) and the Office
of the Chief Technology Officer (OCTO) to identify a significant number of datasets that
OCA and OCTO expect to publish online later this year. If no dataset from DHS is
selected to be included in this 2014 release, we will continue to work with OCA and
OCTO to identify datasets appropriate to publish in 2015. DHS will also submit the
selected datasets to be published on Datadc.gov with a link to the DHS external and
internal web portals.
2
Stakeholders
DHS identifies stakeholders through participation in the human services continuum.
Those include leaders of non-profit and advocacy organizations, sister agency heads, and
local government leadership. Participation is encouraged through focus groups, direct
outreach, collaborative interagency meetings and initiatives such as the ICH, and
increased communication among sister agencies through co-location of services at
various DHS service centers.
DHS has improved public engagement efforts by working to establish a Customer
Advocacy Board (CAB) with a dedicated staff member to provide a medium whereby
customers are encouraged to self-advocate and offer direct input on DHS policy and
procedures.
Collaboration
DHS partners with a number of sister agencies, non-profit organizations, and communitybased organizations to fulfill its obligation to customers served. Many DHS Service
Centers include co-located agencies such as the Child and Family Services Agency
(CFSA), the Department of Behavioral Health (DBH), the Office of the State
Superintendent for Education (OSSE) and others. Further DHS contracts with a number
of non-profit organizations in the homeless services continuum. The agency has multiple
Memorandums of Understanding and Memorandums of Agreement with other DC
government agencies to provide needed services.
DHS has two administrations, Economic Security Administration (ESA) and Family
Services Administration (FSA) and highlighted below are some of the partnerships.
Economic Security Administration
The Economic Security Administration (ESA) partners with the Department of
Behavioral Health’s mental health staff at TANF Assessment Centers to provide in-depth
mental health assessments and referrals.
The Child and Family Services Agency (CFSA) collaborates with ESA and receives
TANF funding to serve CFSA families who are TANF eligible.
The District Department of the Environment (DDOE) partners with ESA to comply with
the Heat and Eat requirements, and thus allowing Food Stamp customers to receive the
maximum Standard Utility Allowance.
The Addiction, Prevention and Recovery Administration (APRA) works with ESA and
receives TANF funding to provide substance abuse services to TANF customers.
3
Office of the State Superintendent of Education (OSSE) partners with DHS to use a
license to conduct electronic-Comprehensive Adult Student Assessment System
(eCASAS) testing for TANF customers. DHS also provides caseload data to OSSE for
the purpose of determining high needs students who are enrolled in DC Public Schools.
The Department of the Employment Services ( DOES) partners with ESA to provide job
training services for ESA’s Food Stamp Employment and Training customers.
ESA and the Office on Latino Affairs (OLA) collaborate in providing outreach and
translations services for all ESA activities.
The Office on Asian and Pacific Islander Affairs (OAPIA) provides outreach and
translations services for all ESA activities.
DC Public Schools (DCPS) engages in data exchanges with ESA for the provision of
services.
The Office of Attorney General (OAG) works with ESA in the collection of child support
for TANF customers.
ESA partners with the Office of Administrative Hearings (OAH) which provides fair
hearings for ESA customers who are contesting eligibility decisions.
The DC Health Benefit Exchange (HBX) provides funding to ESA for staff and resources
regarding the implementation of the Affordable Care Act.
The Office of Health Care Finance (OHCF) collaborated with DHS in the New Heights
program which provides various services to expectant and parenting teens including case
management linkages to government and non-government services partners with the
District of Columbia Public Schools and the Student Support Center.
ESA recently entered into a partnership with the Department of Behavioral Health
(DBH) to expand the District’s 12 Cities Initiative, which provides blended funding and
services for individuals with multiple barriers, including substance abuse, mental health
and AIDS/HIV risk.
Family Services Administration
Local Family Services Administration (FSA) partners include the Child and Family
Services Agency, the Departments of Health and Behavioral Health, the Office of the
State Superintendent of Education, the Health Care Finance Administration, the D.C.
Housing Authority, the Department of Housing and Community Development, the DC
Child Support Services Division, and the Office of the Attorney General. Major federal
partners include Housing and Urban Development, Health and Human Services, and the
Department of Veterans Affairs.
4
The DC Office of Refugee Resettlement in the Family Services Administration (FSA)
collaborates frequently with the DC Child and Family Services Agency (CFSA),
Lutheran Social Services (LSS), and Catholic Charities. CFSA and LSS are very
instrumental in providing foster care services, and Catholic Charities provides
employment training and case management to the refugees that reside in the District.
FSA’s Adult Protective Services (APS) office intervenes to protect vulnerable adults
through referrals to outside partners. APS professional staff members also make
informative presentations to church groups and community organizations about abuse,
neglect, and related topics impacting vulnerable adults.
Family violence issues are addressed by FSA partners that include the Coalition Against
Domestic Violence, the District Alliance for Safe Housing, My Sister’s Place, House of
Ruth, and the Asian/Pacific Islander Domestic Violence Resource Project.
The FSA Homeless Services Program provides a variety of shelter and housing options as
well as case management and other homeless prevention and supportive services to
individuals and families. The Virginia Williams Family Resource Center serves the needs
of families that are homeless by offering shelter options, case management, and other
resources.
Other
Another way DHS ensures transparency is through the Office of Program Review,
Monitoring and Investigation (OPRMI).
The DHS Office of Program Review, Monitoring and Investigation (OPRMI) investigates
allegations of suspected public assistance benefit fraud, related to the Supplemental
Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), formerly known as the Food Stamps Program
(FSP); Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) and Medicaid, and refers
substantiated cases for prosecution or program disqualification.
OPRMI also investigates Unusual Incidents, such as employee misconduct, harassment
and assault, which compromise the integrity of DHS programs or which threaten the
health or safety of DHS customers, District government employees and the public.
Additionally, OPRMI receives and assesses suggestions for improvement and coordinates
the resolution of complaints related to DHS programs and services.
OPRMI is also responsible for shelter monitoring and evaluating District of Columbia
programs and services within the continuum that are covered by the Homeless Services
Reform Act (HSRA) of 2005 as amended. These programs and services include the
resolution of complaints, grievances and concerns. To report fraud allegation, contact
OPRMI at (202) 671-4460.
5
(Internal) http://dcdhs.dc.gov/service/monitoring-and-investigation
(Public) http://dhs.dc.gov/service/monitoring-and-investigation
In addition, OPRMI collaborates with the following agencies:
Office of Attorney General
Office of General Counsel
Office of Inspector General
Office of DC Auditors
Metropolitan Police Department
Federal Bureau of Investigations
USDA
USDA Office of Inspector General
DC, VA & MD Department of Corrections
Child and Family Services Agency
OSSE/DC Public Schools
Internal Revenue Services
DC Tax and Revenue
6
GOVERNMENT OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA
Department of Youth Rehabilitation Services
Open Government Report 2014
To institutionalize a culture of transparent and open government, accountability, and to
expand opportunities for resident participation and collaboration, this report describes
how the Department of Youth Rehabilitation Services (DYRS) has and will continue to
develop and enhance transparency, public participation, and collaboration. In accordance
with Mayor’s Order 2014-170, this report addresses the following topics:
1)
Transparency
DYRS prides itself on open and transparent government agency, resulting in a 3prong approach ensuring the public is well-informed about the inner-workings of the
agency. This includes 1) data, 2) specialized reports, and 3) direct access:
1. Data
On our government website, numerous data points are provided to the public;
specifically in relation to public safety, population, and youth development
indicators.
http://dyrs.dc.gov/page/data
2. Specialized Reports
To assist our stakeholders to better understand the work of the agency, we
constantly provide specialized reports on our government website. These include,
but are not limited to: performance reports; knowledge briefs; research reports;
and white papers.
http://dyrs.dc.gov/page/dyrs-specialized-publications
3. Direct Access
The agency also provides easy-to-use direct access to our stakeholders on our
website. This includes an Ask the Director form on every page; Media Inquiries
page; Open Government and FOIA page; and telephone numbers for the Director
and agency.
While the agency is proud of the access provided to the public, there is always room
for improvement. Having said this, DYRS is working closely with the Office of the
City Administrator (OCA) and the Office of the Chief Technology Officer (OCTO) to
1
identify a significant number of datasets that OCA and OCTO expect to publish
online later this year. If no dataset from DYRS is selected to be included in this 2014
release, we will continue to work with OCA and OCTO to identify datasets
appropriate to publish in 2015. In the future, requirements for open data reporting will
be provided by the Chief Data Officer.
2)
Public Engagement and Participation
DYRS provides stakeholders, including our youth and their family’s direct ability to
participate and be informed of the agency’s decision-making process. We ensure
families know their rights, roles, expectations, frequently asked questions, and where
to go if help is needed. On our website, we specifically have a “For Families” page
providing the following necessary information to keep our families informed
throughout their involvement with DYRS:
http://dyrs.dc.gov/page/dyrs-resources-families
DYRS also provides information on the services we provide:
http://dyrs.dc.gov/page/dyrs-services
And our approach and methodologies:
http://dyrs.dc.gov/page/about-dyrs
Going forward, DYRS will improve its use of social media to enhance public
engagement and participation. This is an emphasis for the upcoming year to ensure
every avenue is exhausted to keep our stakeholders informed and involved.
3)
Collaboration
DYRS works closely with our internal and external stakeholders. DYRS regularly
participates in cluster meetings with the Deputy Mayor for Public Safety and Justice,
Deputy Mayor for Health and Human Services, and the Interagency Incident
Management Team.
Additionally, DYRS and the Children and Youth Investment Trust (CYITC)
collaborated to launch DC YouthLink, a coalition of community-based organizations
that provide a diverse array of services to court-involved youth in their home
neighborhoods. By focusing on community-based interventions, DC YouthLink is at
the forefront of a national trend in positive, community-based services and
placements for youth committed to a juvenile justice agency. The initiative is based
on the premise that youth are best served within the context of their home community
2
and that building upon their strengths and the strengths of the community is the most
effective way to enhance public safety.
http://dyrs.dc.gov/page/dc-youthlink
To improve information sharing within and outside of the agency, DYRS recently
implemented the FAMCare system. FAMCare is designed and developed as a
juvenile justice case management system. It is the standard application many
jurisdictions around the country. Its robust architecture permits flexible and userfriendly customization by the end users, thus eliminating much of the need for IT
involvement in customizing forms and ad-hoc reporting.
3
GOVERNMENT OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA
Office of Disability Rights
Open Government Report 2014
To create a culture of transparent and open government, accountability, and to expand
opportunities for resident participation and collaboration, this Report describes how the Office of
Disability Rights (ODR) has and will continue to develop and enhance transparency, public
participation, and collaboration. In accordance with Mayor’s Order 2014-170, this report
addresses the following topics:
1)
Transparency
Describe the steps your agency has taken or plans to take to be more transparent.
Please include a description of:
How and to what extent your agency shares information with the public, e.g.
publication of information in the District register and on the agency website,
press releases, and documents in the agency’s FOIAXpress reading room.
The Office of Disability Rights (ODR) regularly shares information with the public on our
website. Shared information includes newsletters, press releases, public testimonies, DC
Commission on Persons with Disabilities (DCCPD) meeting minutes, and recent agency
publications.
How the agency meets its obligations pursuant to the District’s Freedom of
Information Act and Open Meetings Act.
To meet agency obligations pursuant to the District’s Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) and
Open Meetings Act, ODR has an appointed FOIA Officer Jessica Hunt, Esq. If ODR receives a
FOIA request, Ms. Hunt responds in a timely manner and within prescribed guidelines. ODR did
not have any FOIA requests for FY 2014.
Steps your agency will take to increase public access to information.
ODR will continue to post press releases, public testimonies, DCCPD meeting minutes, and
agency publications under the “open government” tab on our website’s homepage. ODR website
is managed by FOIA Officer Jessica Hunt with assistance from the Special Assistant/Public
Information Officer (PIO) Kali Wasenko.
In addition to posting information on the website, ODR is increasing its presence on social
media. ODR has been increasing posts about upcoming events and communication with other
agencies.
Steps your agency will take, including an implementation timeline, to webcast
live and archive on the internet board or commission meetings. (This
1
question only applies to agencies that are overseen or advised by a board or
commission that is subject to the Open Meetings Act.)
DCCPD meetings are subject to Open Meetings Act. DCCPD meetings and agendas are properly
posted prior to the event. Detailed minutes and recordings are taken during the meeting. The
FOIA Officer and Special Assistant to the DCCPD will work together to ensure meetings and
agendas are properly posted on the website within a reasonable period of time.
How your agency has taken or plans to take steps to make more of its data
available to the public.
The Office of Disability Rights (ODR) is working closely with the Office of the City
Administrator (OCA) and the Office of the Chief Technology Officer (OCTO) to identify a
significant number of datasets that OCA and OCTO expect to publish online later this year. If no
dataset from ODR is selected to be included in this 2014 release, we will continue to work with
OCA and OCTO to identify datasets appropriate to publish in 2015. It is important to note that
our largest dataset involves ADA inquires and includes confidential information. In the future,
requirements for open data reporting will be provided by the Chief Data Officer.
2)
Public Engagement and Participation
Describe the steps your agency has taken or plans to take to enhance or expand
opportunities for the public to participate in agency decision-making. Please include
a description of:
How your agency provides online access to proposed rules and regulations
and secures public input on them. Please list links to specific websites.
The Office of Disability Rights (ODR) focuses on compliance based on local and federal
disability rights laws. Although ODR does not have implementing regulations, it plans to
promulgate regulations at a later date. During the development and publication of these
regulations, ODR will certainly engage District government as well as private sector
stakeholders. However, if there is a Council hearing on proposed bills or updates to important
resources that affect the constituents we serve, we would post information for the hearing on our
website. For example, in March 2014, the Department of Health Care Finance & Department on
Disability Services revised a public notice of proposed amendments and proposed transition plan
to the Home and Community-Based Waiver for Persons with Intellectual and Developmental
Disabilities. ODR has a direct link to this notice in our “Featured News” section of our
homepage (www.odr.dc.gov).
How your agency shares information and resources to keep the public
properly informed, e.g. community meetings, public hearings, FAQs, and
ways the public can provide input such as Twitter, grade.dc.gov, email
contacts.
2
ODR has an “Ask the Director” link on our website that allows constituents to communicate
questions directly to our Interim Director
(http://app.dc.gov/apps/about.asp?page=atd&type=dsf&referrer=[$DSF_SERVER_NAME$]&a
gency_id=1169&odrNav=|33358|). ODR also has a list of staff members and their corresponding
e-mails in our “Staff Directory” (http://odr.dc.gov/page/staff-directory-00). The public may
access grade.dc.gov via a link on our homepage to provide general feedback.
ODR is active via Twitter and Facebook (@ODRDC and “DC Office of Disability Rights
(ODR)” respectively). Increasing involvement in social media allows the public to engage in
open conversation with ODR. Finally, for stakeholders who do not use computers or the
internet, ODR has a team of knowledgeable staff members, including a receptionist who is
available for extended morning hours to answer phone questions. ODR also has Video Relay
Interpreting (VRI) available for members of the public who visit and require on-site American
Sign Language Interpretation (SLI).
How your agency identifies stakeholders and invites their participation.
In addition to allowing constituents to sign up for our newsletter through our website, ODR
utilizes several other ways of identifying stakeholders for participation. The biggest event the
agency holds is the annual Disability Awareness Exposition. This year, ODR welcomed over 200
community members to this event. Furthermore, ODR set up a registration table to allow guests
to identify themselves and register to receive our emails and newsletters. ODR also welcomes
referrals from other agencies and communicates with constituents who visit the office. If they
choose, they may be added to our listserv.
Steps your agency will take to improve public engagement and participation
including any new feedback tools or mechanisms the agency is considering.
To improve public engagement and participation, ODR will continue to utilize multiple means of
communication, including social media, website resources, telephone availability, and VRI
capabilities. ODR is in the process of renovating the suite to allow for better, more effective
engagement with constituents in DC government as well as in the private sector. We are
constantly looking for more innovative ways to serve the public.
3)
Collaboration
Describe the steps your agency has taken or plans to take to enhance or expand
cooperation among departments, other governmental agencies, the public, and nonprofit and private entities in fulfilling its obligations. Please include a description of:
How your agency currently collaborates with the above parties. Please list
links to specific websites if appropriate.
Through our newsletter, ODR links to other agency events and provides updates on
developments in the field of disability rights to our stakeholders. We share relevant press
releases and documents created in partnership with other agencies on our website. For example,
3
ODR collaborated with the Office of Human Rights on the Accessible Restaurant initiative
(http://odr.dc.gov/release/ohr-and-partners-ask-restaurants-take-accessibility-pledge-0). For the
Disability Awareness Exposition, ODR collaborated with DC Public Library, DC Department on
Disability Services, DC Office on Aging, DC Healthcare Finance and the Office of Consumer
and Family Affairs. Guests could learn about the event and register through an online
registration page (www.disabilityawarenessexpo.eventbrite.com). ODR also collaborated with
Columbia Lighthouse for the Blind, the American Council of the Blind and the National
Federation of the Blind for the Blind Awareness Day Celebration in October 2014. Community
leaders were identified by the partners and invited to the reception individually through e-mail
and phone calls. There was also a rally walk component that was open to the public. Columbia
Lighthouse for the Blind distributed a press release co-authored by the planning team (see
attached).
In addition to special events, ODR contributes to a variety of projects. For example, ODR
advises the District Department of Transportation (DDOT) as they develop a plan for accessible
Red Top parking meters. ODR staff members also serve on the District of Columbia Taxicab
Commission Accessibility Advisory Committee regarding improving accessible taxicab services.
Metropolitan Council of Government (COG) is lead of the Access for All (AFA) Advisory
Council. ODR collaborates with the AFA ensures accessibility for people with disabilities as
well as improvements in transportation including bus rides and bus stop accessibility, Metro rail
and MetroAccess improvements; outreach and education on transportation services to limitedEnglish speaking communities; oversight on accessible taxi service across the region; oversight
over projected long-range transportation plan; and general concerns related to transportation in
the District, Maryland and Virginia. Our main focus is ensuring accessibility in all program
planning and development for people with disabilities as regulated in ADA Title II.
ODR has been a member of the National Capital Region Transportation Planning Board (TPB)
since 2008. The TPB is the federally designated Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) for
the region, and is responsible for the regional forum for transportation planning. The TPB
prepares plans and programs that the federal government must approve in order for federal-aid
transportation funds to flow to the Washington region. The TPB uses its fund to test pilot
programs such as the DC Wheelchair Accessible Taxi Pilot program of which ODR was a group
member.
Steps your agency will take to improve collaboration with the above parties
including any new feedback tools or mechanisms the agency is considering,
e.g. prizes, competitions, and other innovative methods.
ODR plans to collaborate with the listed partners for future Disability Awareness Expositions
and Blind Awareness Day Celebrations. ODR would welcome new partners for future public
awareness events. To continue to encourage a strong working relationship, ODR will organize
post-mortem event meetings to gather feedback for improved community outreach.
4
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
October 7, 2014
Contact:
Jocelyn Hunter
202-454-6422, office
jhunter@clb.org
MEDIA ADVISORY
Blind Awareness Day
Wednesday, October 15th, 2014
WHAT:
A collaboration of blindness organizations in DC in conjunction with the DC’s Office of
Disability Rights will host a Blind Awareness Day celebration, a community event
organized to highlight a national day to recognize persons who are blind and visually
impaired who travel independently with the use of long canes.
WHO:
Adults who are blind and visually impaired & Invited DC Elected Officials
WHEN:
Wednesday, October 15, 2014, 4:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m.
Event Schedule
2:30 p.m.
Walk from the Wilson Building located at 1350 Pennsylvania
Avenue, NW
4:00 p.m.
Reception
4:45 p.m.
Program to Begin including Mayoral Proclamation
WHERE:
1350 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW, Room G-9
Contact:
To coordinate interviews or photo/broadcast opportunities, contact
Jocelyn Hunter: 202-454-6422, jhunter@clb.org.
5
GOVERNMENT OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA
OFFICE ON AGING
Open Government Report 2014
To institutionalize a culture of transparent and open government, accountability, and to
expand opportunities for resident participation and collaboration, this Report describes
how the Office on Aging has and will continue to develop and enhance transparency,
public participation, and collaboration. In accordance with Mayor’s Order 2014-170, this
report addresses the following topics:
1)
Transparency
DCOA regularly posts press releases, newsletters and other pertinent information
related to seniors and person with disabilities who are 18 years and older to the
agency’s website (www.dcoa.dc.gov).
For example, DCOA posts on its website the Performance Plans, press releases and
senior newsletters such as The Spotlight on Community Living. Spotlight on Aging
and DCOA E-News. DCOA also posts to its website applicable meeting material,
such as the Aging and Disability Resource Center Lifespan Caregiver monthly online
chat meetings which are archived on www.dcoa.dc.gov.
In addition, DCOA has a website dedicated to providing the public with detailed
information regarding how the District government is performing. The Track DC
website, www.track.dc.gov, allows users to track agency performance measures, learn
more about agency budgets, and monitor agency spending. DCOA also participates in
grade.dc.gov, which provides for continuous feedback from customers on DCOA
programs and services, and this information is posted and available to the public at
www.grade.dc.gov.
DCOA tracks all requests for information that are received from members of the
public and provides information in accordance with the requirements of the District of
Columbia Freedom of Information Act, D.C Code Section 2-531 et seq. DCOA’s
responses to requests for information pursuant to the terms of this statute are posted
and available on the agency’s website.
DCOA also regularly posts notices of meetings of the Commission on Aging to the
Open Government website www.dcoa.dc.gov, and also posts this information in
advance of scheduled meetings at the agency’s offices and on its website. DCOA
maintains tape recordings of the full proceedings of meetings of the Commission on
Aging, and this information is available upon request. Draft minutes of meetings of
the Commission on Aging are posted to the agency’s website, and final, approved
1
GOVERNMENT OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA
OFFICE ON AGING
Open Government Report 2014
minutes are also posted and available on the agency’s website. DCOA will work with
OCTO to webcast live meeting on the website beginning fiscal year 2015.
DCOA will continue to implement aggressive community outreach programs to
increase public awareness of the agency’s programs and services for seniors and
persons with disabilities who are 18 years of age and older. These activities will
include advertising and announcements in weekly news publications; television ads,
outreach and other community events.
To date, public service announcements have included segments on WJLA, WUSA,
WHUR, and D.C. government and public access channels. Print media used by
DCOA has included the Northwest Current, Senior Beacon and Washington Informer.
DCOA also conducts several annual events at which information about the agency’s
programs and services is available, including the Senior Symposium, the annual
holiday luncheon, and the intergenerational community festival. In addition,
DCOA’s website contains extensive information for the District’s population that
includes DCOA’s services, calendar of events, and various publications.
2)
Public Engagement and Participation
DCOA publishes proposed rules and regulations in the D.C. Register and also posts
this information on the agency’s website: www.dcoa.dc.gov. DCOA also conducts
extensive community outreach to the agency’s Senior Service Network comprised of
community service providers and other key stakeholders. DCOA also secures public
input on proposed rules and regulations at town hall meetings convened at DCOA’s
six senior wellness centers located in Wards 1, 4, 5, 6, 7, and 8. DCOA carefully
reviews and considers written and verbal comments received in connection with the
rulemaking process.
There are several ways that DCOA shares information and resources to keep the
public properly informed:
Website – DCOA proactively posts information and resources pertinent to
the agency and the government as a whole on its website
(www.DCOA.dc.gov). For example, the DCOA website includes: agency
performance plans; a comprehensive list of senior services; links to Grade
DC and resources for seniors.
Agency Performance – DCOA posts agency Performance Plans and
Performance Accountability Reports to its website. The Performance
2
GOVERNMENT OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA
OFFICE ON AGING
Open Government Report 2014
Accountability Report, for example, is an annual report that rates whether
or not the agency fully achieved, partially achieved, or did not achieve the
initiatives and performance targets contained in the Performance Plan.
Agency Events – DCOA also keeps the public informed about
community meetings and events. DCOA post all events that are related to
the senior population.
Twitter – DCOA has a twitter account (@DCAgingNews) to tweet
important information about upcoming community meetings, share recent
press releases, and to re-tweet important information shared by other
District agencies.
Email – DCOA has an “Ask the Director” feature on the DCOA website
for feedback on the agency’s performance.
Facebook – DCOA has a Facebook page
(https://www.facebook.com/DCAgingNews) that informs the public
about events, activities and important information regarding seniors and
persons with disabilities who are 18 years of age and older.
DCOA also participates in public oversight hearings and roundtables before the
Council of the District of Columbia, providing testimony and answering questions at
these hearings and roundtables. These proceedings are televised on cable television
and are also available on the Council’s website.
3)
Collaboration
DCOA regularly coordinates with a diverse array of key internal and external
stakeholders in order to promote the agency’s important mission and to
implement and expand the agency’s programs and services provided to D.C.
residents who are 60 years of age and older, and to persons with disabilities who
are 18 years of age and older. These stakeholders include agencies of the
Government of the District of Columbia; the federal government; DCOA Senior
Service Network; community advocates; and the recipients of DCOA programs
and services. DCOA will continue the community outreach activities outlined
above and will strive to identify additional opportunities for effective
collaboration with key internal and external stakeholders.
3
GOVERNMENT OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA
Office of the Deputy Mayor for Public Safety & Justice
Open Government Report 2014
To institutionalize a culture of transparent and open government, accountability, and to
expand opportunities for resident participation and collaboration, this Report describes
how the Office of the Deputy Mayor for Public Safety & Justice has and will continue to
develop and enhance transparency, public participation, and collaboration. In accordance
with Mayor’s Order 2014-170, this report addresses the following topics:
1)
Transparency
The Office of the Deputy Mayor for Public Safety & Justice demonstrates a
commitment to transparency through our website. To share information with the
public, the website has an “Open Government and FOIA” tab. This section
contains awarded contracts, an organizational chart, P card purchases, and budget.
Additionally, the homepage provides links to our cluster agencies and
independent agencies as well as their respective social media platforms. The
Office of the Deputy Mayor for Public Safety& Justice is working closely with
the Office of the City Administrator (OCA) and the Office of the Chief
Technology Officer (OCTO) to identify a significant number of datasets that
OCA and OCTO expect to publish online later this year. If no dataset from Office
of the Deputy Mayor for Public Safety & Justice is selected to be included in the
2014 release, we will continue to work with OCA and OCTO to identify datasets
appropriate to publish in 2015. In the future, requirements for open data reporting
will be provided by the Chief Data Officer.
2)
Public Engagement and Participation
To improve public engagement and participation, the Office of the Deputy Mayor for
Public Safety & Justice uses Twitter, @SafeDC, to share information and resources.
The Twitter handle, @SafeDC, allows for the swift dissemination of relevant
information such as crime alerts, community meetings, public hearings, etc. Also, on
the Office of the Deputy Mayor for Public Safety & Justice website,
www.dmspj.dc.gov, there is a link to grade.dc.gov to provide agency specific
feedback.
1
3)
Collaboration
The Office of the Deputy Mayor for Public Safety& Justice improves the
quality of life for District residents by coordinating and developing
interagency public safety initiatives. To enhance cooperation among
departments, the Office of the Deputy Mayor for Public Safety and Justice
convenes a monthly meeting with agency directors and biweekly agency
meetings with senior staff of public safety agencies. Additionally, these
meetings are supplemented with community forums, which are highly,
collaborative exercises, designed to help the Office of the Deputy Mayor for
Public Safety & Justice as well as other public safety partners remain abreast
of the public’s concerns.
2
GOVERNMENT OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA
D.C. Department of Corrections
Open Government Report 2014
To institutionalize a culture of transparent and open government, accountability, and to
expand opportunities for resident participation and collaboration, this report describes
how the D.C. Department of Corrections (DC DOC) has and will continue to develop and
enhance transparency, public participation, and collaboration. In accordance with
Mayor’s Order 2014-170, this report addresses the following topics:
1)
Transparency
DC DOC shares information with the public through a variety of sources,
including but not limited to the agency website (including the Open
Government section), e-mail, press releases and media advisories (featured on
our website and disseminated to the media), our Facebook and Tumblr
accounts, and our newly activated Twitter account. These sources allow us to
make the public aware of agency resources, inform them of ongoing and/or
special agency activities, keep them updated on services and programs, and
showcase many of the forums and ceremonial events held throughout the year.
Our Facebook account, in particular, allows us to dialogue with the public in
ways we were never able to do so in the past. We have also released important
documents such as our 2014 Prison Rape Elimination Act (PREA) report and
our comprehensive report on Suicide Prevention, both of which can be found
on the DCDOC website.
In keeping with the required protocols for responding to FOIA requests, DC
DOC responds to all within the designated time frame. We have also begun
use of FOIA Express which streamlines the request and response processes.
DC DOC will continue to use our website along with social media to increase
public access to agency information. We went “live” with our Twitter
account this week and plan to use it as another way to share up-to-date
information about the department. Also, as with our Facebook page, Twitter
will allow us real time access to the public and any questions or concerns they
have about our operations.
DC DOC is working closely with the Office of the City Administrator (OCA)
and the Office of the Chief Technology Officer (OCTO) to identify a
significant number of datasets that OCA and OCTO expect to publish online
later this year. If no dataset from the D.C. Department of Corrections is
selected to be included in this 2014 release, we will continue to work with
OCA and OCTO to identify datasets appropriate to publish in 2015. In the
future, requirements for open data reporting will be provided by the Chief
Data Officer.
1
2)
Public Engagement and Participation
3)
The D.C. Department of Corrections uses its social media accounts
(Facebook, Tumblr, and recently Twitter) as a supplement to the agency
website to keep the public informed. On the website, we also have the Ask the
Director section available for feedback and questions from the public.
DC DOC has quarterly meetings with stakeholder groups including our
Citizens Advisory Committee (a volunteer committee of external partners who
advise the agency on community feedback), the Transgender Advisory
Committee (which includes representatives from the transgender and
advocacy communities, medical and security staff, and executive leadership),
Linking Institutions Neighborhoods and Communities - LINCS (our corps of
volunteer organizations that collectively provide a wide range of pre and post
release services and support to the offender population and correctional staff,
as well as our Faith Based Advisory Council (a diverse group of clergy that
provide pre- release and community support and advise the Agency Director
on operational and programmatic matters). The Department also interfaces
regularly with the Corrections Information Council – CIC, and is an active
member of the Criminal Justice Coordinating Council and its subcommittees.
DC DOC expects that the recently established Twitter account will be another
major way for our agency to improve public engagement and participation. In
addition to dialogue through the Twitter account, we will continue to receive
feedback from the quarterly meetings with our stakeholders and community
groups.
Collaboration
DC DOC currently collaborates with several community groups and advisory
councils in an effort to receive feedback, but also to disseminate information
about the department. The agency meets with these groups at least on a
quarterly basis.
These groups include:
o The Citizens Advisory Committee: http://doc.dc.gov/node/563382
o The Transgender Advisory Committee:
http://doc.dc.gov/page/transgender-advisory-committee
o Criminal Justice Coordinating Council: http://cjcc.dc.gov/
o Corrections Information Council: http://cic.dc.gov/
o Faith-based community organizations
o Linking Institutions Neighborhoods and Communities (LINCS)
2
GOVERNMENT OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA
Department of Forensic Sciences
Open Government Report 2014
To institutionalize a culture of transparent and open government, accountability, and to
expand opportunities for resident participation and collaboration, this Report describes
how the Department of Forensic Sciences (DFS) has and will continue to develop and
enhance transparency, public participation, and collaboration. In accordance with
Mayor’s Order 2014-170, this report addresses the following topics:
Transparency
DFS’s Public Information Officer maintains the agency website (dfs.dc.gov)
and Facebook page (www.facebook.com/DCDepartmentofForensicSciences),
regularly posting news and information to both. The website includes an
Open Government and FOIA page that includes to all sorts of DFS
information, including administrative, financial, operational, and public
testimony/meetings. Agency press releases are posted to the website and
Facebook, as well as emailed out to dozens of media outlets.
DFS takes its obligations pursuant to the District’s Freedom of Information
Act and Open Meeting Act seriously. DFS’s General Counsel is the agency’s
FOIA officer and in the most recent fiscal year for which data is available, a
disposition was reached in 100 percent of requests received and was done so
in a median time of 12 days. Links are available on the DFS website that
direct users to a FOIA request form, the agency’s FOIA report, and the results
of FOIA requests filed. Regarding Open Meetings, DFS publishes advance
notice of the quarterly meetings of its Science Advisory Board in the DC
Register and on its website, along with an agenda. After the meetings, notes
are posted in a timely fashion, and a complete audio recording is made
available upon request. Webcasting is under consideration pending
technology review and application.
DFS will regularly consider what public information to provide through
existing and new media, in keeping with its mission and the statute creating
the agency.
DFS is working closely with the Office of the City Administrator (OCA) and the
Office of the Chief Technology Officer (OCTO) to identify a significant number
of datasets that OCA and OCTO expect to publish online later this year. If no
dataset from DFS is selected to be included in this 2014 release, we will
continue to work with OCA and OCTO to identify datasets appropriate to
publish in 2015. In the future, requirements for open data reporting will be
provided by the Chief Data Officer.
Public Engagement and Participation
All of DFS’s policies and procedures are linked in the agency’s public website.
Commentary/feedback can be sent to contactDFS@dc.gov.
Through its website and Facebook page, DFS gives advance notice of any
community meetings or public hearings in which the agency is participating.
The website also features links to the Director’s testimony at Performance
and Budget Oversight Hearings before the DC Council. DFS responds
promptly to any public inquiries/comments made via its website, Facebook
page or emails to its Public Information Officer, Executive Assistant and
members of the agency Directorate.
Stakeholders are identified by statute, District of Columbia Code, Division 1,
Title 5, Chapter 15.
The public can contact DFS by email, Facebook page, phone and regular mail.
Collaboration
DFS has weekly meetings of its Directorate, which includes all Department
heads. Coordination among departments on agency-wide issues is discussed.
Meetings are held regularly involving DFS and its stakeholder agencies,
where information is exchanged and feedback sought. Additional meetings
are regularly held with stakeholders to organize, prioritize and resolve issues
that may arise. DSF’s website and Facebook page list and give links to news,
events, and updates relevant to the agency.
DFS works with the stakeholders, media and the public to provide timely and
accurate information about activities relevant to its mission.
GOVERNMENT OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA
Homeland Security and Emergency Management Agency
Open Government Report 2014
To institutionalize a culture of transparent, open, and accountable government, and to
expand opportunities for resident participation and collaboration, this Report describes
how the District of Columbia Homeland Security and Emergency Management Agency
has and will continue to develop and enhance transparency, public participation, and
collaboration. In accordance with Mayor’s Order 2014-170, this report addresses the
following topics:
1)
Transparency
The District of Columbia Homeland Security and Emergency Management Agency
(HSEMA) is dedicated to our mission to promote and protect life safety by ensuring
that the District of Columbia is prepared to prevent, protect against, respond to,
mitigate, and recover from all threats and hazards. To this end, HSEMA will publish
the final versions of the District Preparedness Framework and associated documents
on both our Publications webpage and the HSEMA Freedom of Information Act
(FOIA) Reading Room. The public can view all HSEMA Press Releases and other
important news on HSEMA’s Newsroom webpage. HSEMA keeps District
constituents informed via our Facebook page and Twitter feed, as well as, through the
use of our electronic application (available on both Apple and Android devices) and
AlertDC, the official District of Columbia communications system that sends
emergency alerts, notifications, and updates directly to user devices.
HSEMA is fully committed to responding to FOIA and District Department of
Transportation (DDOT) Closed Circuit Television (CCTV) Traffic Camera Feed
requests from the public. HSEMA’s Open Government, FOIA, and CCTV webpage
describes the process for requesting this information and the timeline for responses.
In order to ensure timely response to FOIA requests, HSEMA has developed a robust
FOIA Response Procedure (attached) that sets out the process for HSEMA employees
to respond to FOIA requests in a complete and timely manner, through the HSEMA’s
designated FOIA Officer.
HSEMA continues to maintain the public’s access to information by providing
finalized public planning documents as detailed above, in addition to providing
emergency preparedness guides on our Emergency Preparedness webpage. The
HSEMA Community Outreach Team works closely with citizens, employees,
visitors, communities and businesses to provide vital emergency preparedness
information.
HSEMA works closely with the Office of the City Administrator (OCA) and the
Office of the Chief Technology Officer (OCTO) to identify a significant number of
datasets which OCA and OCTO expect to publish online later this year. If no dataset
1
from HSEMA is selected to be included in this 2014 release, we will continue to work
with OCA and OCTO to identify datasets appropriate to publish in 2015. In the
future, requirements for open data reporting will be provided by the Chief Data
Officer.
2)
Public Engagement and Participation
Although HSEMA generally does not promulgate rules or regulations that affect the
public, we will accept public commentary on published planning documents.
Comments received will then be considered and may be incorporated during the next
planning cycle.
HSEMA shares information and resources that keep the public informed by
consistently conducting Community Outreach events throughout the District’s eight
(8) wards. HSEMA maintains an active social media presence via our Facebook
page, Twitter Feed, and electronic application (available on both Apple and Android
devices). HSEMA encourages all District residents, commuters, businesses, and
visitors to sign up for AlertDC, the official District of Columbia communications
system that sends emergency alerts, notifications, and updates directly to user’s
devices. In 2013 and 2014, HSEMA launched a comprehensive campaign urging all
residents and visitors to sign up for AlertDC, which resulted in a significant increase
in user sign-ups. Additionally, HSEMA’s website remains up-to-date with important
emergency preparedness related information designed to keep the public informed on
what to do in an emergency, including how-to videos and instructions for making an
Emergency Go Kit. Additional preparedness resources can be found on the Agency’s
Emergency Preparedness webpage.
In 2013, HSEMA established the Business Emergency Management Operations
Center (BEMOC) to help facilitate the interaction between the public and private
sectors before, during, and after an emergency.
3)
Collaboration
In 2014, HSEMA established an unprecedented coordinated planning process that
incorporates the expertise of various District, federal, regional and non-governmental
entities to ensure that the needs of the whole community are appropriately addressed.
Throughout the revamped planning process, HSEMA includes representatives from
non-governmental and community organizations to provide commentary and input on
mass care services and business preparedness.
2
GOVERNMENT OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA
OFFICE OF THE CHIEF MEDICAL EXAMINER
Open Government Report 2014
To institutionalize a culture of transparent and open government, accountability, and to
expand opportunities for resident participation and collaboration, this Report describes
how the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner (OCME) has and will continue to develop
and enhance transparency, public participation, and collaboration. In accordance with
Mayor’s Order 2014-170, this report addresses the following topics:
1)
Transparency
Describe the steps your agency has taken or plans to take to be more transparent.
Please include a description of:
How and to what extent your agency shares information with the public, e.g.
publication of information in the District register and on the agency website,
press releases, and documents in the agency’s FOIAXpress reading room.
The OCME is committed to a transparent and open form of Government.
District agencies are required to make certain records available, including: 1)
employee salary information; 2) statements of policy; 3) published opinions;
4) agency performance plans; 5) budget information; 6) District wide FOIA
reports; and 7) OCME’s organizational chart. OCME is incompliance with
this open government mandate and the above enumerated information can be
found on OCME’s website at http://ocme.dc.gov/page/open-government-andfoia-ocme.
How the agency meets its obligations pursuant to the District’s Freedom of
Information Act and Open Meetings Act.
The OCME meets it obligation to FOIA by issuing timely responses to
requestors. Moreover, when appropriate, OCME posts frequently requested
documents, or documents of public interest, to the OCME’s FOIAXpress
reading room. The OCME meets its obligations to the Open Meetings Act by
ensuring compliance for the three (3) Fatality Review Committees
administered by the OCME.
Steps your agency will take to increase public access to information.
OCME will continue to timely respond to FOIA requests and post relevant
information, when appropriate, to the FOIAXpress reading room.
Additionally, OCME is committed to assisting FOIA requestors in identifying
the proper agency to direct FOIA requests to for timely response.
1
Steps your agency will take, including an implementation timeline, to webcast
live and archive on the internet board or commission meetings.
The OCME administers three (3) Fatality Review Boards on behalf of the
District. Due to the nature of the materials reviewed by committee members
Case Reviews are Closed to the Public pursuant to D.C. Official Code §§2575(b)(1) as the law or court order requires that a particular matter or
proceeding not be public; and 2-575(b)(14) to plan, discuss, or hear reports
concerning ongoing or planned investigations of alleged criminal or civil
misconduct or violations of law or regulations, if disclosure to the public
would harm the investigation. However, OCME is committed to working
with BEGA to assess how best to comply with live webcasts and archives of
the meetings when appropriate and legally allowable.
How your agency has taken or plans to take steps to make more of its data
available to the public.
OCME is working closely with the Office of the City Administrator (OCA)
and the Office of the Chief Technology Officer (OCTO) to identify a
significant number of datasets that OCA and OCTO expect to publish online
later this year. If no dataset from OCME is selected to be included in this 2014
release, we will continue to work with OCA and OCTO to identify datasets
appropriate to publish in 2015. In the future, requirements for open data
reporting will be provided by the Chief Data Officer.
2)
Public Engagement and Participation
Describe the steps your agency has taken or plans to take to enhance or expand
opportunities for the public to participate in agency decision-making. Please include
a description of:
How your agency provides online access to proposed rules and regulations
and secures public input on them. Please list links to specific websites.
The OCME, in conjunction with the Department of Forensic Sciences,
published notice of a proposed rulemaking in support of the D.C. Breath
Alcohol Testing Program on April 27, 2014 for public comment. OCME is
committed to seeking public comment when there are amendments to OCME
specific regulations or statutes. Moreover, OCME publicly notices statutory
authority granted to OCME for death investigations on the OCME website.
Questions or comments from the public can be direct to the linked titled “Ask
the Chief Medical Examiner” for a response within 24 hours of receipt or the
next business day.
How your agency shares information and resources to keep the public
properly informed, e.g. community meetings, public hearings, FAQs, and
2
ways the public can provide input such as Twitter, grade.dc.gov, email
contacts.
OCME publishes notice of all three (3) Fatality Review Committee meetings
in accordance when the Open Meetings Act. Moreover, OCME is committed
to providing timely response to media inquiries, bloggers, private citizens
when requested and the information sought is subject to public release.
How your agency identifies stakeholders and invites their participation.
OCME has a variety of stakeholders including first responders, Funeral
Directors, educational institutions, health care entities, and public health
agencies. To invite participation with these stakeholders, OCME has attended
various board and commission meetings, lectured at educational institutions,
established formal and informal relationships with health care entities to better
serve the District, and has actively worked with public health agencies to help
inform protocols for the safe handling and dignified disposition of decedent
remains.
Steps your agency will take to improve public engagement and participation
including any new feedback tools or mechanisms the agency is considering.
OCME will continue to timely respond to public inquires when the requested
information is subject to public release. OCME is working on a new initiative
utilizing GSI mapping to compile death data to improve public health
surveillance that will better inform policy decisions District wide and will
encourage pubic engagement.
3)
Collaboration
Describe the steps your agency has taken or plans to take to enhance or expand
cooperation among departments, other governmental agencies, the public, and nonprofit and private entities in fulfilling its obligations. Please include a description of:
How your agency currently collaborates with the above parties. Please list
links to specific websites if appropriate.
OCME has been working to improve relationships with educational
institutions, public health organizations and District agencies to better serve
the District. This initiative has included OCME’s use of the state of the art
Consolidated Forensic Laboratory (CFL) to expose stakeholders to the facility
and capabilities of District agencies housed at the CFL. OCME is committed
to strengthening relationships with our District government agency partners to
improve response and provide expertise in public emergency events involving
mass fatalities.
3
Steps your agency will take to improve collaboration with the above parties
including any new feedback tools or mechanisms the agency is considering,
e.g. prizes, competitions, and other innovative methods.
OCME will continue to timely respond to public inquires when the requested
information is subject to public release. As formal partnerships with these
entities develops, points of contact will be identified to coordinate response to
internal inquiries and to initiate public participation via educational
opportunities and representation at professional societies through services as
keynote speaks and, when ethically permissible, as formal members in the
societal organization.
4
GOVERNMENT OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA
Office of Unified Communications
PUBLIC SAFETY
PUBLIC SERVICE
Open Government Report 2014
To institutionalize a culture of transparent and open government, accountability, and to expand
opportunities for resident participation and collaboration, this Report describes how the Office of
Unified Communications (OUC) has and will continue to develop and enhance transparency,
public participation, and collaboration. In accordance with Mayor’s Order 2014-170, this report
addresses the following topics:
Transparency
Government should be transparent. Transparency promotes accountability and provides
information for citizens about what their government is doing. Information maintained by the
OUC belongs to the people of the District of Columbia. OUC will take appropriate action,
consistent with law, policy and the Mayor’s directive on open government, to disclose
information rapidly in forms that the public can readily find and use. OUC will harness new
technologies to put information about how this agency operates and how decisions are made
online. OUC will also continue to solicit public feedback to identify information of the greatest
use to the public.
Public Engagement and Participation
Public engagement enhances the OUC’s effectiveness and improves the quality of its decisions.
Knowledge is widely dispersed in society, and public officials benefit from having access to that
dispersed knowledge. OUC offers the public many opportunities to interface and share thoughts
on how the agency can better serve the residents of the District of Columbia. OUC maintains a
robust community engagement calendar. OUC partners with the DC Office on Aging to bring
Smart 911 to District Seniors. OUC has worked tirelessly to provide new avenues to reach
seniors, often bringing onsite registration to the senior facilities. OUC also utilizes the Grade DC
platform, where citizens can provide online feedback on their experiences with both 311 and
911. (www.grade.dc.gov) Our 311 call takers solicit feedback from citizens and we actively
contact citizens to troubleshoot and resolve concerns.
OUC currently has 3,280 Twitter followers (@311DCgov). The agency has garnered positive
feedback, adding another real-time reporting avenue for citizens with city service issues and
concerns.
In FY14, OUC was one of the few District government agencies to score 12 out of 12 on the
Language Access Compliance Scorecard. This was a direct result of our increased community
Unified Communications Center
2720 Martin Luther King, Jr. Ave, SE Washington, D.C. 20032
www.ouc.dc.gov
GOVERNMENT OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA
Office of Unified Communications
PUBLIC SAFETY
PUBLIC SERVICE
outreach schedule, and also because of our vital documents were not only translated for our
agency web site, but also were printed and made available during our outreach efforts. OUC
recently trained representatives at the Office of Latino Affairs on Smart911 registration so that
they can assist in bringing this important OUC initiative to the Hispanic population in the
District of Columbia.
OUC hosted 23 Operations tours as the agency continues to be on the cutting edge of call center
technology. The Agency hosted tours for public safety dignitaries from South Korea, China,
Australia, Ireland, as well as local community groups.
Collaboration
Collaboration actively engages residents in the work of their District government. OUC works
collaboratively with the Metropolitan Police Department, the Fire and Emergency Medical
Services Department, the DC Office on Aging, the Department of Parks and Recreation, the
Office of the Chief Technology Officer, the Office of Asian and Pacific Islander Affairs, and the
DC Senior Foster Care Program to engage the public and to solicit public feedback to assess and
improve the services we provide to the public. OUC has used these partnerships to sign up
nearly 500 District seniors for Smart911 and to provide information to more than 2000 people at
18 separate events.
Unified Communications Center
2720 Martin Luther King, Jr. Ave, SE Washington, D.C. 20032
www.ouc.dc.gov
Unified Communications Center
2720 Martin Luther King, Jr. Ave, SE Washington, D.C. 20032
www.ouc.dc.gov
GOVERNMENT OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA
Department of Consumer and Regularity Affairs
Open Government Report 2014
To institutionalize a culture of transparent, open government and accountability and to expand
opportunities for resident participation and collaboration, this Report describes how the
Department of Consumer and Regulatory Affairs (DCRA) has and will continue to develop and
enhance transparency, public participation, and collaboration. In accordance with Mayor’s Order
2014-170, this report addresses the following:
1)
Transparency
The Department of Consumer and Regulatory Affairs has taken the following steps to be more
transparent:
•
Promotion of Green Building Program, including LEED accreditation and increased
public outreach on the benefits of green construction
•
Implementation of new vending regulations, resulting in a more predictable and
transparent licensing and site-assignment process
•
Simplification of trade name process, consolidating trade name registration under one
agency for license application renewals
•
Establishment of a new, streamlined Basic Business License process for one and twofamily rentals with self-certification
•
Online submission of plans through ProjectDox, an innovative web application
streamlining the review process
•
Creation of an online Permit Intake Validation System (PIVS), which provides the public
a one-stop shop for key information on a particular address, including property
ownership, zoning, building permit issued, business licenses, and property code citations
•
Increase in online/mobile services such as Business License Verification, E-Corp,
Business License Renewal, and Building Permit Applications
•
Reduction in paper support of DCRA ‘Paperless Permitting Initiative – today 100% of
building permit applications are completed via the Online Construction Permit
Application Intake System (OCPI)
1
•
Offer online access to searchable versions of the District’s Construction Codes at
http://www.ecodes.biz/ecodes_support/Free_Resources/2013DistrictofColumbia/13Distri
ctofColumbia_main.html.
District’s Freedom of Information Act and Open Meetings Act.
DCRA has created an Open government and FOIA page on its website that consist of the
following information about the agency that can be obtained by accessing the published links
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Public Employee Salary Information (Please note that this is the complete listing of
District employees. Agency designation is located in column two.)
Administrative Staff Manuals
Other Agency Determinations of the Rights of the Public
DCRA’s FY14 budget
Minutes of Public Meetings
Absentee Owners Addresses and Building Permits (DCRA & Tax & Revenue)
Building Permit List (Frequently Requested Public Records)
DCRA Statement of Policy and Regulations
P Card Purchases (Information dealing with the receipt or expenditure of public funds)
Awarded Contracts
DCRA Organizational Chart
DCRA Performance Plans
Submit Feedback using Grade DC
District-wide FOIA Reports
DCRA also processes all Freedom of Information Act Requests through FOIAXPRESS, a
District government web-based portal by which Freedom of Information Act requests can be
processed and tracked.
Steps your agency will take to increase public access to information.
DCRA is currently working to create a One City Portal – which is an integrated licensing and
information system that will allow other government agencies and the public to communicate
with each other in real time.
How your agency has taken or plans to take steps to make more of its data available to the
public.
DCRA is working closely with the Office of the City Administrator (OCA) and the Office of the
Chief Technology Officer (OCTO) to identify a significant number of datasets that OCA and
OCTO expect to publish online later this year. Currently, several sets of the agency’s data are
available at data.dc.gov.
2
2)
Public Engagement and Participation
Describe the steps your agency has taken or plans to take to enhance or expand opportunities for
the public to participate in agency decision-making. Please include a description of:
How does your agency provide online access to proposed rules and regulations and secures
public input on them. Please list links to specific websites.
The agency publishes any emergency, proposed, or final rules in the District of Columbia
Register, which is available to the public online at dcregs.dc.gov. As part of the proposed
rulemakings, members of the public are provided with at least 30 days to submit comments. The
process for submitting comments is included at the end of all proposed rulemakings.
Links to some other regulations may be found at: http://dcra.dc.gov/page/regulations-dcra.
The Construction Codes Coordinating Board (CCCB) provides the opportunity for members of
the public to submit code change proposals, and to participate in technical advisory groups
(TAGs) that make recommendations to the CCCB on code changes. In the last code cycle,
completed in March 2014, hundreds of people and organizations, representing industry, design
professionals, residents, and other stakeholders, participated in the code development process.
More information about the CCCB and the TAGS is provided on the DCRA website at:
http://dcra.dc.gov/service/construction-codes-coordinating-board
How does your agency share information and resources to keep the public properly
informed, e.g. community meetings, public hearings, FAQs, and ways the public can
provide input such as Twitter, grade.dc.gov, email contacts.
The public can access almost all permitting and licensing information twenty-four hours per day,
seven days a week on DCRA’s PIVS system.
The agency also responds to inquiries and concerns raised via Twitter, grade.dc.gov, and email.
The DCRA website offers a wealth of information for the public on how to get a business license
or for background on permitting. For example, checklists are available on the DCRA website
showing all the documentation that is required to a secure a business license, so that an
applicant can quickly identify requirements.
DCRA also currently participates in Advisory Neighborhood Commission(ANC) meetings,
community open houses, and permit stakeholder meetings.
3
DCRA uses ward based inboxes to share information with the public. The ward based inboxes
are email accounts that were created for the sole purpose of accommodating the high demands of
staff members from the Executive Mayors Office, Council offices, and the District’s ANCs.
These inboxes range from 1-8 (one for each ward of the city). With this system, constituents can
expect excellent customer service, fast response times, and a personal agency liaison to address
questions and concerns.
In addition, to the ward-based inboxes, DCRA uses the IQ system , which is a citywide database
used to collect concerns, questions, and inquires from the residents of DC. All DCRA-related IQ
inquires come in through resources such as “Ask the Director” on the DCRA website, the email
address housinginspections@dc.gov, the email address dcra@dc.gov, or through the 311 call
center.
How does your agency identify stakeholders and invite their participation.
DCRA identifies stakeholders as being residents, business owners, district and federal
government agencies and visitors seeking to do business in the District. Agency management
(including the director), readily make themselves available for meetings with stakeholders.
Steps your agency will take to improve public engagement and participation including any
new feedback tools or mechanisms the agency is considering.
DCRA has one of the District governments most popular Twitter accounts with more than 7,000
followers. The agency will continue to use feedback from Twitter in addition to feedback
received through more traditional means.
The agency is implementing an online permitting submission and review system that gives permit
applicants easier access to feedback on discipline reviews. DCRA is also looking at expanding
personalized service programs like the Small Business Resource Center, so that customers are
assigned a single point of contact, which should allow feedback to reach its desired source more
quickly and effectively.
3)
Collaboration
Describe the steps your agency has taken or plans to take to enhance or expand cooperation
among departments, other governmental agencies, the public, and non-profit and private entities
in fulfilling its obligations. Please include a description of:
How your agency currently collaborates with the above parties. Please list links to specific
websites if appropriate.
4
Currently, DCRA collaborates with the above parties by way of the Small Business Resource
Center (SBRC). The Small Business Resource Center is designed to provide one-on-one
technical assistance, educational assistance, and group workshops to future and current business
owners seeking to navigate through the District’s regulatory environment. Through the SBRC,
DCRA has established partnerships with both the private sector and District and federal
government agencies. Partnerships play a critical role in providing small business education
assistance to SBRC customers. The SBRC is a key initiative among the efforts of the District to
become a more business-friendly jurisdiction.
DCRA’s SBRC continues to build partnerships which contribute to increasing agency and
communication transparency through its outreach efforts. The SBRC demonstrates the collective
efforts by District agencies and private sector partners to provide a platform for entrepreneurs to
receive one-on-one consultations and group workshops. The goal is that entrepreneurs will be
educated to start their businesses efficiently and in compliance with all of the District’s
regulatory requirements. The SBRC is a prime example of DCRA moving aggressively towards
streamlining business regulatory processes, enhancing transparency and communication, and
providing good customer service to the small business community.
SBRC FY2014 Top Five Events – To Date:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
V ending Regulation Training Symposium – 10/18/13 (Approximately 69 Attendance)
DC Bar Pro Bono Clinic – 10/22/13 (Approximately 65 Attendance)
V ending Regulation Training Symposium – 10/26/13 (Approximately 49 Attendance)
DC Bar Pro Bono Clinic – 01/15/14 (Approximately 49 Attendance)
PorjectDox Training for District of Columbia Building Industry Association (DCBIA) – 01/29/14
(Approximately 50 Attendance)
Table 1
DCRA’s Small Business Resource Center (SBRC)
Fiscal Year 2014
QUARTER
EVENT
TYPE
TOPIC
DATE
Q1
Workshops
DC Bar Pro Bono Clinic
Tuesday, October 22, 2013
65
Q1
Training
Vending Regulations Training
Symposium
Saturday, October 26, 2013
49
Q1
Training
Vending Regulations Training
Symposium
Monday, October 28, 2013
69
APPROXIMATELY
ATTENDED
5
Q1
Workshops
Office of Asian & Pacific Islanders /
Connect - Engage & Build Launch
Event
Thursday, November 14, 2013
40
Q1
Workshops
Affordable Care Act for Small Biz
Thursday, November 14, 2013
13
Q1
Workshops
Octane and Fuel Pump for Merchants
Wednesday, November 20,
2013
5
Q1
Workshops
Affordable Care Act for Small Biz
Saturday, December 07, 2013
9
Q2
Workshops
How to Open a Small Business in DC
Wednesday, December 11,
2013
38
Q2
Workshops
DC Bar Pro Bono Clinic
Wednesday, January 15, 2014
49
Wednesday, January 29, 2014
50
Thursday, January 30, 2014
16
Q2
Workshop
Q2
Workshop
Permits ProjectDox Training
(District of Columbia Building Industry
Association - DCBIA)
Money Smart for Small Businesses
On Monday, August 25, 2014, the SBRC held its 2nd Entrée DC Food and Drink Forum, which
took place at the Washington, DC Convention Center. The forum focused on providing breakout
sessions on the following topics:
1) D.C. Government Regulatory Processes
2) Do’s and Don’ts of Opening a Food Industry Business in D.C.
3) Financial Management
4) How to Get Financing to Open a Business
5) Entering into a Building Lease Agreement
6) Ins and Outs of Food Trucks, Public Markets, and Vending
490 registered 300+ attended
Internal District Government Partners Include:
•
•
•
•
•
•
DCRA’s Corporations, Permit Operations Division, Business Licensing, and Office of
the Zoning Administrator
Office of Tax and Revenue (OTR)
Department of Health (DOH)
Alcohol and Beverage (ABRA)
Office of the Deputy Mayor’s Office for Planning and Economic Development
(DMPED)
Department of Small and Local Business Development (DSLBD)
External Collaborators who offer small business development support include:
6
•
•
•
•
•
DC Women Business Center (DCWBC)
DC Bar Pro Bono
DC Small Business Development Center (DC SBDC)
Washington Area Community Investment Fund (WICIF)
Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC)
DCRA constantly reaches out to sister agencies through Projectdox as well as encourages
customers to discuss experiences through grade.dc.gov. The agency also participates in Tenant
Housing Advocates meetings and conferences, American Institute of Architects meetings, and the
District of Columbia Building Industry Association meetings.
DCRA’s Occupational and Professional Business Licensing Department collaborates with the
Department of Health and a host of boards and commissions as well.
Steps your agency will take to improve collaboration with the above parties including any
new feedback tools or mechanisms the agency is considering, e.g. prizes, competitions, and
other innovative methods.
The Department of Consumer and Regulatory Affairs Small Business Resource Center will
house a six-month pilot project in the fall of 2014 to accelerate the permitting, inspection,
zoning, and business licensing approval process for new, small businesses in the District.
7
GOVERNMENT OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA
Department of Employment Services
Open Government Report 2014
To institutionalize a culture of transparent and open government, accountability, and to
expand opportunities for resident participation and collaboration, this Report describes
how the Department of Employment Services (DOES) has and will continue to
develop and enhance transparency, public participation, and collaboration. In accordance
with Mayor’s Order 2014-170, this report addresses the following topics:
1)
Transparency
Describe the steps your agency has taken or plans to take to be more transparent.
Please include a description of:
How and to what extent your agency shares information with the public, e.g.
publication of information in the District register and on the agency website,
press releases, and documents in the agency’s FOIAXpress reading room.
DOES shares information with the public through various methods of external
communication, including written letters, correspondence, and email blasts to customers;
brochures, flyers, fact sheets, and poster displays at American Job Centers; and
Interactive Voice Response (IVR) messaging via our main DOES customer service
telephone line. One of our central communication methods to disseminate public
information most expeditiously, however, is via the DOES website where we publish
timely press releases on employment data, program and event announcements and
outcomes, and major grant and funding awards from the U.S. Department of Labor
(USDOL), etc.; current labor statistics and new labor publications developed by the
Office of Labor Market Research and Information; and unemployment compensation
information and important announcements for UI claimants and employers. The DOES
website is constantly monitored and updated regularly. DOES also publishes major
announcements related to employment-related laws and law modifications in the
District’s public register (e.g., Office of Wage and Hour law updates, First Source law
updates, etc.) as well as public Notices of Funding Availability (NOFAs) and grant
opportunities, etc.
www.does.dc.gov
http://does.dc.gov/newsroom
http://does.dc.gov/page/labor-statistics
http://does.dc.gov/page/unemployment-compensation
How the agency meets its obligations pursuant to the District’s Freedom of
Information Act and Open Meetings Act.
DOES publishes all public meetings and events on its online calendar on the front page of
the DOES website, and minutes of all applicable DOES public proceedings are published
1
online. In addition, DOES makes all final opinions and orders of adjudicated cases
available online and FOIA-able. All FOIA requests sent to DOES via the DC
Government Public FOIA Portal or by mail, fax, or email are processed by the agency’s
FOIA officer and handled professionally and expeditiously.
http://does.dc.gov/page/dc-apprenticeship-council-meeting-minutes
http://does.dc.gov/page/compensation-review-board
Steps your agency will take to increase public access to information.
DOES will continue to publish all vital public information on its main website, including
press releases with regard to employment-related information and updates, significant
USDOL announcements, and event announcements and outcomes; post, display, and
distribute vital public information at all American Job Centers; broadcast regularly
updated messaging on our IVR system; and provide timely written correspondence to our
customers, as warranted. In addition, DOES will begin to disseminate at American Job
Centers and public forums, as well as post online, more employment-related fact sheets
and FAQs, including job retention and job readiness information; employee wage and
hour rights and changes to laws that effect employees; veteran-, youth- and senior-related
services and opportunities; unemployment compensation-related announcements and
materials, etc.
Steps your agency will take, including an implementation timeline, to webcast
live and archive on the internet board or commission meetings. (This
question only applies to agencies that are overseen or advised by a board or
commission that is subject to the Open Meetings Act.)
How your agency has taken or plans to take steps to make more of its data
available to the public.
N/A
DOES is working closely with the Office of the City Administrator (OCA) and the Office
of the Chief Technology Officer (OCTO) to identify a significant number of datasets that
OCA and OCTO expect to publish online later this year. If no dataset from DOES is
selected to be included in this 2014 release, we will continue to work with OCA and
OCTO to identify datasets appropriate to publish in 2015. In the future, requirements for
open data reporting will be provided by the Chief Data Officer.
2)
Public Engagement and Participation
Describe the steps your agency has taken or plans to take to enhance or expand
opportunities for the public to participate in agency decision-making. Please include
a description of:
2
1. How your agency provides online access to proposed rules and regulations
and secures public input on them. Please list links to specific websites.
DOES lists links to all proposed and final rules, regulations, and requests for public
comment on all program-related web pages pertaining to said proposed rulemaking
and regulations. Specifically, the most frequently amended employment-related
rulemakings and laws pertain to the Office of Wage and Hour (e.g., Living Wage,
District of Columbia Minimum Wage Law, Accrued Sick and Safe Leave Act), and
all amendments and updates are posted on the DOES Wage and Hour Compliance
web page in real time.
http://does.dc.gov/service/wage-and-hour-compliance
2. How your agency shares information and resources to keep the public
properly informed, e.g. community meetings, public hearings, FAQs, and
ways the public can provide input such as Twitter, grade.dc.gov, email
contacts.
DOES shares with and distributes information and resources to the public at
American Job Centers, public forums, ANC meetings, hiring fairs, and public
outreach events held at DOES Headquarters, American Job Centers, and external
venues with partner organizations throughout the Washington metropolitan area. The
DOES IVR system is updated regularly with important announcements, and the
DOES website is a principal medium to disseminate vital information to the public,
including public meeting notices, programmatic FAQs and factsheets, public
testimony, grant and funding availabilities, annual reports, state plans, etc. In
addition, requests for comment on proposed rulemakings are posted on the DOES
website as well as published in the District’s public register. DOES also maintains an
active social media presence. Twitter updates are posted regularly to the DOES
website front page, and the Office of Youth Programs uses social media as a primary
communication method to engage and correspond with District youth. Constituents
young and old respond regularly to DOES Twitter and Facebook postings. Grade DC
is another primary mechanism used by DOES to obtain feedback from customers
regarding DOES customer service and is marketed at all DOES events as well as
employed by American Job Center staff to solicit real-time, constructive feedback.
3. How your agency identifies stakeholders and invites their participation.
DOES has a vast network of partner organizations, stakeholders, and customers and
constituents who have participated in DOES employment-related events or received
agency services. DOES maintains several stakeholder databases, including the One
City • One Hire database, the Contracts and Procurement database, and the District’s
DCNetworks database/Virtual One Stop (VOS) system that serves as the system for
all Wagner/Peyser, Workforce Investment Act (WIA) and Trade Act participants. To
invite relevant stakeholders to participate and/or partner in specific events or to apply
for applicable funding opportunities, DOES identifies and matches stakeholders in
these database with related pre-screening and hiring events, partnership opportunities,
3
and grants and funding solicitations. Requests for participation are sent via written or
verbal correspondence that includes letters, emails, online registrations (e.g.,
Eventbrite) and in-person and telephonic invitation requests; invitations and calendar
announcements are also posted on the main DOES website.
www.does.dc.gov
www.dcnetworks.org
http://onecityonehire.org/
4. Steps your agency will take to improve public engagement and participation
including any new feedback tools or mechanisms the agency is considering.
To enhance our public engagement efforts as well as increase instant, real-time
customer feedback, DOES will begin generating more online feedback tools to post
on the main DOES website and individual programmatic web pages, including online
customer service surveys using Survey Monkey; installing desktop customer
feedback links (e.g., Grade DC) on all public access computers at American Job
Centers, and developing a cost-efficient strategy to utilize the agency’s One-Stop
Mobile Unit on a steady basis to register District residents for DOES programs and
services at community events across the city.
3)
Collaboration
Describe the steps your agency has taken or plans to take to enhance or expand
cooperation among departments, other governmental agencies, the public, and nonprofit and private entities in fulfilling its obligations. Please include a description of:
How your agency currently collaborates with the above parties. Please list
links to specific websites if appropriate.
DOES partners with several sister District agencies as well as collaborates with
numerous external private and non-profit organizations to fulfill its mission, vision,
and public obligations. DOES engages in robust collaborations with the following
sister agencies:
DC Public Schools (DCPS)/ Office of the State Superintendent of
Education (OSSE)/ Department of Youth Rehabilitation Services (DYRS)/
Child and Family Services Agency (CFSA) – Various youth-related
initiatives, including Summer Youth Employment Program (SYEP),
Mayor’s Youth Leadership Institute (MYLI), One City High School
Internship Program (OCHSIP), In-School and Out-of-School Programs,
etc. (http://dcps.dc.gov, http://osse.dc.gov, http://dyrs.dc.gov,
http://dc.gov/agency/child-and-family-services-agency, http://cfsa.dc.gov)
Office of Human Rights (OHR) – Language Access Program
(http://ohr.dc.gov)
4
Office of Disability Rights (ODR) – Disability-related customer services
and relations, e.g., American Sign Language customer services
(http://odr.dc.gov)
Office on Aging (DCOA) – Senior Community Service Employment
Program (SCSEP) (http://dcoa.dc.gov)
Office of Veterans Affairs (OVA) – All DOES veteran-related initiatives
(http://ova.dc.gov)
Office on Returning Citizens Affairs (ORCA)/Office of Gay, Lesbian,
Bisexual and Transgender Affairs – Project Empowerment Program
(http://orca.dc.gov, http://glbt.dc.gov)
Office of Contracting and Procurement (OCP) – All DOES contracting,
procurement, and funding initiatives (http://ocp.dc.gov)
Office of Administrative Hearings (OAH) – All DOES customer-related
adjudication services (http://oah.dc.gov)
Steps your agency will take to improve collaboration with the above parties
including any new feedback tools or mechanisms the agency is considering,
e.g. prizes, competitions, and other innovative methods.
To enhance our collaborations with external private and non-profit organizations,
DOES will develop strategies to increase partnerships with stakeholders who share a
mission akin to the DOES mission which is to help put people to work. These
collaborations include increased public outreach efforts, hiring fairs, and
employment-related public forums. DOES will also begin sharing DOES programs
and services links to post on partner organization websites to increase DOES online
traffic and in-person visits to American Job Centers. In addition, DOES will continue
to enhance and update its job seeker resources web page with a wide range of direct
links to partner organization sites and a number of tools and resources, complete with
and a brief description of what the sites have to offer.
(http://does.dc.gov/node/206292)
5
GOVERNMENT OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA
DEPARTMENT OF HOUSING AND COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT
Open Government Report 2014
To institutionalize a culture of transparent and open government, accountability, and to expand
opportunities for resident participation and collaboration, this Report describes how the
Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD) has and will continue to develop
and enhance transparency, public participation, and collaboration. In accordance with Mayor’s
Order 2014-170, this report addresses the following topics:
1)
Transparency
Describe the steps your agency has taken or plans to take to be more transparent.
Please include a description of:
How and to what extent your agency shares information with the public, e.g.
publication of information in the District register and on the agency website,
press releases, and documents in the agency’s FOIAXpress reading room.
o DHCD has revised its website homepage to make it a more user-friendly
tool for District residents including:
“DHCD Live Reports” features daily tweeter updates
The “What’s New” section offers highlights on media advisories,
press releases, reports, Solicitation for Offers, Request for
Proposals, public meeting notices and program announcements
“Featured News” offers the latest in DHCD press releases,
newsletters, testimonies and advisories
The “DHCD Project Pipeline Report” provides stakeholders with
real time dates on the status of affordable housing development
Viewing our “Upcoming Events” section affords residents a short
listing of DHCD meetings, workshops and outreach events
o DHCD releases an annual report each fiscal year (October 1st to
September 30th) highlighting the Department’s accomplishments, policy
and procedure revisions, financials and overall performance. This
publication is produced and published under the guidance of the DHCD
Office of Communications and Community Outreach. To view the annual
reports please see the below listing:
FY 2013 Annual Report (see link:
http://dhcd.dc.gov/publication/dc-department-housing-andcommunity-development-fy-2013-annual-report )
FY 2012 Annual Report (see link:
http://dhcd.dc.gov/publication/dc-department-housing-andcommunity-development-fy-2012-annual-report )
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o The DHCD website is a wealth of information for all stakeholders from
media, to residents, to development partners. In addition to renaming the
tabs, “Communities”, “Development” and “Residents” to better speak to
stakeholders there are several locations on the site that has resourceful
information.
Press releases can be found here:
http://dhcd.dc.gov/newsroom/press-releases
Media advisories can be found here:
http://dhcd.dc.gov/newsroom/advisories
Agency publications can be found here:
http://dhcd.dc.gov/publications
Solicitations can be found here: http://dhcd.dc.gov/node/19152
How the agency meets its obligations pursuant to the District’s Freedom of
Information Act and Open Meetings Act.
o The DHCD makes records and reports available online to the public, if the
records exist. In cases where these records exist but are not yet available
online, DHCD is working to provide them as soon as possible. The current
available FOIA information is listed below:
Employee Salary Information (Please note that this is the complete
listing of District employees. Agency designation is located in
column two.)
Administrative Staff Manuals and Instructions
Final Opinions Made in the Adjudication of Cases
Statements of Policy
P Card Purchases
Awarded Contracts
DHCD's FY14 Budget
Minutes of Public Meetings
Housing Regulations
DHCD Performance Plans
District-wide FOIA Reports
DHCD Organizational Chart
Submit Feedback
Steps your agency will take to increase public access to information.
o We are further revamping the DHCD homepage and subsidiary online
platforms by:
Revising DCHousingSearch.org, and our programs/divisions to
include Residential and Community Service Division, and the
Inclusionary Zoning Program
Continuing updates of Community Interest projects such as:
- Big-K Site Development
- Build Green DC
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-
Community Housing Development Organizations (CHDO)
Developments
- Neighborhood Revitalization Program
- Rent/Income Limits
Implementing a formalized process to handle
marketing/communication requests to insure an accurate,
consistent message is reaching the public
DHCD Stakeholder Reports are distributed to ANC, CBO, sister
agencies, partners, community leaders and stakeholders
All public media activity is posted
Continuous social media updates via the DHCD Twitter and
Facebook feeds
Steps your agency will take, including an implementation timeline, to webcast
live and archive on the internet board or commission meetings. (This question
only applies to agencies that are overseen or advised by a board or
commission that is subject to the Open Meetings Act.)
o All of the DHCD meeting spaces have been equipped with video
teleconferencing hardware that will enable public meetings at the
agency to be viewed online as well as recorded and posted on various
medians as podcasts.
How your agency has taken or plans to take steps to make more of its data
available to the public.
The Department of Housing and Community Development is working closely
with the Office of the City Administrator (OCA) and the Office of the Chief
Technology Officer (OCTO) to identify a significant number of datasets that
OCA and OCTO expect to publish online later this year. If no dataset from
DHCD is selected to be included in this 2014 release, we will continue to work
with OCA and OCTO to identify datasets appropriate to publish in 2015. In the
future, requirements for open data reporting will be provided by the Chief Data
Officer.
2)
Public Engagement and Participation
Describe the steps your agency has taken or plans to take to enhance or expand
opportunities for the public to participate in agency decision-making. Please include
a description of:
How your agency provides online access to proposed rules and regulations
and secures public input on them. Please list links to specific websites.
o The DHCD provides online access to rules and regulations at the
following websites:
Administrative Staff Manuals and Instructions
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Final Opinions Made in the Adjudication of Cases
Statements of Policy
DHCD's FY14 Budget
Minutes of Public Meetings
Housing Regulations
District-wide FOIA Reports
Submit Feedback
How your agency shares information and resources to keep the public
properly informed, e.g. community meetings, public hearings, FAQs, and
ways the public can provide input such as Twitter, grade.dc.gov, email
contacts.
o DHCD shares information and resources to inform the public through
various mediums and also asks for feedback from District residents
and businesses through:
Community Meetings
Housing Production Trust Fund public meetings
Events and Outreach activities
Community Based Non Profit Organizations
Newspaper Ads
Social Media – Blogs, Twitter and Facebook
Ask the Director
o Frequently Asked Questions can be found in various locations:
DHCD FAQs: http://dhcd.dc.gov/page/dhcd-frequently-askedquestions
3)
How your agency identifies stakeholders and invites their participation.
o Stakeholders are identified through attendance at DHCD events and
meetings, CBOs and our partnerships with sister agencies, developers,
landlords, property managers, realty agents, bankers, general
contractors.
Steps your agency will take to improve public engagement and participation
including any new feedback tools or mechanisms the agency is considering.
o The DHCD is using the “DHCD Project Pipeline Report” to connect
with stakeholders on the real time status of affordable housing in the
District.
o Twitter, Facebook and the WordPress Blog are providing new
opportunities for public engagement and gathering feedback from
stakeholders.
Collaboration
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Describe the steps your agency has taken or plans to take to enhance or expand
cooperation among departments, other governmental agencies, the public, and nonprofit and private entities in fulfilling its obligations. Please include a description of:
How your agency currently collaborates with the above parties. Please list
links to specific websites if appropriate.
o The Architectural Research Institute (ARI) was founded through
collaboration between the University of the District of Columbia and
the D.C. Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD)
Homestead Preservation Program. The Homestead Preservation Program
is now the Property Acquisition Disposition Division (PADD) and Single
Family Residential Rehabilitation Program (SFRRP). DHCD has been
ARI’s primary client for the past twenty plus years. This collaboration
provides comprehensive architectural services allowing for the
reclamation of the city’s vacant, boarded and run down housing,
rehabilitating them for low- and middle- income residents, thus giving
them the opportunity to become homeowners. Since its inception in 1987,
ARI has provided architectural services on the renovation and
rehabilitation of more than 606 homes and apartments at a cost of more
than S90 million, positively impacting thousands of District residents in
all eights wards of D.C.
The Architectural Research Institute (ARI) provides cross-disciplinary
research and service to support livable, sustainable, global cities. As the
clinical arm of UDC’s Department of Architecture and Community
Development, ARI is tasked with the community service component as
part of the College of Agriculture, Urban Sustainability and
Environmental Sciences, home of the District’s land grant programs.
http://www.udc.edu/college_of_urban_agriculture_and_environmental_stu
dies/architectural_research_institute
o Multiple District agencies have programs mitigating health risks posed by
environmental contaminants such as lead, mold, and carbon monoxide.
DHCD worked with DDOE, DCHA, FEMS, and other agencies to catalog
and provide status on environmental health hazards in the District’s
affordable housing stock.
o As part of National Home-Ownership Month, DHCD worked with
community partners to host a housing expo in June 2014. The Expo
provides resources for all residents of the District, including information
for renters, homeowners, potential homeowners, landlords and residents
facing foreclosure. This is a partnership with local CBOs, realtors,
financial institutions, local vendors, service providers and many more.
Activities include hands on demonstrations, classes on financial and
homeownership issues, presentations about DHCD programs and how to
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access them, and an exhibitor hall with private, public and community
based organizations offering an array of products, services, and programs
for District residents.
o DHCD brought together housing development government and
nongovernmental stakeholders to develop standards for site selection and
urban design which met the standards of Healthy by Design. DHCD then
implemented the Healthy by Design standards for evaluating and selecting
projects for affordable housing.
o PAMD began an initiative to work with Community Based Organizations
(CBO) to provide post-closing counseling as well as work with the Greater
Washington Urban League (GWUL) to ensure client long-term success.
o PADD will work with the Office of the Deputy Mayor for Planning and
Economic Development (DMPED) to identify possible sites for business
incubators as outlined in The 5 year Economic Development Plan.
Steps your agency will take to improve collaboration with the above parties
including any new feedback tools or mechanisms the agency is considering,
e.g. prizes, competitions, and other innovative methods.
o DHCD is consistently working with partner agencies, developers,
community based organizations and residents to continue to
proficiently gauge housing needs, attain innovative ideas and
suggestions and further leverage resources that will allow for the
continued development and preservation of affordable housing for low
and moderate income residents for years to come. This will be done
through various focus groups, community meetings, public hearings,
consolidated Notice of Funding Availability, brain trusts with public
and private entities and a host of other tactics.
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GOVERNMENT OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA
Department of Small and Local Business Development
Open Government Report 2014
To institutionalize a culture of transparent and open government, accountability, and to expand
opportunities for resident participation and collaboration, this Report describes how the
Department of Small and Local Business Development has and will continue to develop and
enhance transparency, public participation, and collaboration. In accordance with Mayor’s Order
2014-170, this report addresses the following topics:
Transparency
The DC Department of Small and Local Business Development (DSLBD) supports the growth,
development, and retention of District based businesses and supports economic development
throughout the District’s commercial corridors. In order to increase accountability and
transparency, promote informed public participation, and create economic development
opportunities, DSLBD has expanded access to information by making it proactively available
online. Updates regarding DSLBD programs and initiatives are shared with the public utilizing
several methods including, press releases, special notices, and DC Register entries that are posted
on DSLBD’s website. DLSBD also releases information via an external mailing list available to
media, community partners, and District small business owners. In an effort to increase public
access to information, DSLBD continually seeks ways to better utilize its website and social
media outlets.
Pursuant to the District’s Freedom of Information Act, DSLBD has responded to every request
received in a thorough and timely manner to the extent permitted by law and subject to valid
privacy, confidentiality, security, or other restrictions. Any information requested by the public
has been made readily available and annual Freedom of Information Act reports are accessible
on the Department’s website.
DSLBD is working closely with the Office of the City Administrator (OCA) and the Office of
the Chief Technology Officer (OCTO) to identify a significant number of datasets that OCA and
OCTO expect to publish online later this year. If no dataset from DSLBD is selected to be
included in this 2014 release, we will continue to work with OCA and OCTO to identify datasets
appropriate to publish in 2015. In the future, requirements for open data reporting will be
provided by the Chief Data Officer.
Public Engagement and Participation
In order to create more informed and effective programs that support small business
development, DSLBD has enhanced and expanded opportunities for the public to have a voice
regarding agency programs and services. Through online access to information and resources,
such as frequently asked questions, GradeDC, and contact information for key programs staff,
DSLBD ensures the public is properly informed. Public input and feedback is welcomed on the
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agency’s website and through social media activity. In an effort to improve public engagement
and participation, DSLBD will publish a quarterly newsletter and welcome content suggestions
from stakeholders and community partners.
Collaboration
DSLBD has made great strides in enhancing and expanding its practices to further cooperation
among departments, other governmental agencies, the public, and non-profit and private entities
in fulfilling its obligations. In 2014 DSLBD transformed its office into a mobile, co-work space
where agency staff, community development organizations, and small businesses collaborate
daily to improve the DC small business environment. This concept is called the Small Business
Inclusion Center. The SBIC supports co-location of federal government agencies, local
government agencies, and nonprofit community development organizations. Modern business
technology, updated policies and procedures for mobile working, and a performance-based
culture allow the Center to attract organizations that collaborate to help small businesses succeed
in Washington, DC.
The goal of SBIC is to improve the environment for small businesses in the District of Columbia
by creating a space where agency staff and partners of the agency collaborate in real-time in
setting reflective of the way business is done today – emphasizing mobility, adaptability, and
accountability. Since implementation in FY14, the Center has added 14 new partner
organizations such as the U.S. Department of Commerce, the Service Corps of Retired
Executives (SCORE), and the Washington Area Community Investment Fund. Further, DSLBD
averages a Grade.DC.gov score of ‘A’ due to the SBIC’s creative approach to catalyzing small
business programs.
Additionally, DSLBD has leveraged cooperative agreements with federal government agencies
to provide business development programs for District small businesses in the areas of
technology, export, and government procurement, all while continuing to collaborate with other
District government agencies and community partners in educating and equipping the District
small businesses with the tools they need to thrive.
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GOVERNMENT OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA
DEPARTMENT OF INSURANCE, SECURITIES AND BANKING
Open Government Report 2014
To institutionalize a culture of transparent and open government, accountability, and to expand
opportunities for resident participation and collaboration, this report describes how the
Department of Insurance, Securities and Banking (DISB) has and will continue to develop and
enhance transparency, public participation and collaboration. In accordance with Mayor’s Order
2014-170, this report addresses the following topics:
1)
Transparency
Describe the steps your agency has taken or plans to take to be more transparent.
As required by Mayor’s Order 2014-170: Transparency, Open Government and Open Data
Directive, the Department of Insurance, Securities and Banking (DISB), created an Open
Government and Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) section on our website to help enhance
transparency with the public. The page contains frequently requested District-wide information
including employee salaries, budget, performance plans, fiscal year spending from 2004 through
2014, the District Personnel Manual and other District-wide FOIA reports. There the public can
also find the department’s organizational chart, administrative orders, statements and
interpretations of policy, minutes of public meetings, databases for licensed insurance companies
and producers, the employee handbook and how to contact the department’s FOIA officer.
The newest feature of the page is a searchable database of insurance companies’ policy form and
rate filings, which was the most frequently-requested FOIA-related topic for DISB in 2014. The
database is a part of the National Association of Insurance Commissioners’ System for
Electronic Rate and Form Filing. The database contains form and rate filings for life, health and
property and casualty plans from 2008 to the present.
Additionally, DISB has improved accessibility to information on its website. DISB’s website,
disb.dc.gov, is the hub of public information for the agency and we work to keep it updated on a
daily basis with information for our residents and regulated entities. In fact, following a redesign
of disb.dc.gov in late 2012, there has been a 30 percent increase in visitor traffic to the website.
DISB also utilizes traditional and social media to get information to the public (the agency issued
23 press releases in 2014 and was quoted or referenced in 66 news articles.)
DISB uses our Twitter account with 1,208 followers, Facebook account and You Tube channel
to disseminate public information and to share consumer financial and insurance information
with the D.C. community. (See DISB News and Publications.) DISB also posts announcements
in the DC Register, when applicable.
DISB made available information on its receivership and liquidation processes, specifically in
the cases of DC Chartered Health Plan, Inc. Rehabilitation, and the liquidations of Ocean Risk
Retention Group and Regional Health Insurance Co. The public has been able to follow along
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with the status of those cases on our website. In addition, DISB has maintained dedicated
webpages for other important agency work such as the surplus review of Group Hospitalization
and Medical Services, Inc. (GHMSI), a subsidiary of CareFirst, Inc. and the rate review for
health insurance plans on DC Health Link, the city’s health insurance marketplace created by the
federal health care law, the Affordable Care Act. The above referenced links can be found
below:
DC Chartered Health Plan, Inc. Rehabilitation
Ocean Risk Retention Group Liquidation
Regional Health Insurance Co. Liquidation
Review of CareFirst’s 2011 Surplus
January 2015 Approved Rates for Health Plans on DC Health Link
DISB also made available other public documents such as testimonies before the D.C. Council,
bulletins, publications and announcements on disb.dc.gov. DISB also maintained an automated
subscription service on its website where the public can sign up for updates from our department
at this link.
For 2015, DISB will continue to identify new information that should be posted for public
review as well as continue working with the Office of the City Administrator and the Office of
the Chief Technology Officer in the overall effort of making the Government of the District of
Columbia more transparent.
2)
Public Engagement and Participation
Describe the steps your agency has taken or plans to take to enhance or expand
opportunities for the public to participate in agency decision-making. Please include
a description of:
In 2014, to keep the public apprised of legislative actions that affected our department, we added
a section on legislation and regulations to disb.dc.gov. There, the public can review enacted and
pending legislation and final and proposed rulemakings. The public can submit comments on
proposed actions by contacting the designated contact person or following the instructions
provided in the DC Register. The legislation and regulations page is available here. The most
recent proposed rulemaking was on the Notice of Proposed Rulemaking on the District of
Columbia-Only Securities Offerings Exemption, where the public could submit comments on
crowdfunding in the District through Sept. 6, 2014.
DISB enhanced our health insurance rate review process by adding the iRATE database that
allows the public to see health insurance premium rates currently under review by the department
as well as recent rate changes that were either approved or disapproved by DISB. The iRATE
database is a more streamlined, consumer-friendly way to review proposed and current health
insurance premium rates than our previous mechanism for posting health rates.
We also distributed information on the proposed and approved January 2015 health insurance
plan rates on DC Health Link. The information was shared with the public through our website,
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press releases, through traditional media and on our social media tools like Twitter (@DCDISB.)
The public can comment on proposed health insurance rates by emailing
HealthRate.Comments@dc.gov.
To address the frequent inquiries about careers at DISB, we created a webpage on “Careers at
DISB.” There, the public can find information about employment opportunities at DISB and
links to the D.C. Department of Human Resources’ eRecruit system, an online tool for those
seeking District Government jobs. We also include information about the internship and summer
jobs opportunities at DISB.
In response to public inquiries on insurance and financial services topics, DISB published its first
“DISB Consumer Financial Resources Guide” in September 2014. It is a one stop resource for
residents on financial services and insurance resources in the District. The guide covers
consumer topics ranging from auto, health, home and life insurance, banking, personal finance,
housing, foreclosure prevention, small business resources and more. The guide is available here.
To make certain that the public is aware of our numerous efforts at the department, we also
utilize a number of in-person and electronic means to get the word out. These include
presentations at community and professional meetings, public hearings, issuance of press
releases and emails through our distribution lists, posting announcements on social media tools
like Twitter and community and neighborhood Listservs. As mentioned earlier, we also maintain
dedicated webpages on our website like the Review of CareFirst 2011’s Surplus and the issuance
of consumer guides. The public can connect with us by mail – 810 First Street, NE, Suite 701,
Washington, DC, 20002; by telephone at (202) 727-8000; through the Ask the Commissioner
link or by email at disb@dc.gov; through our website disb.dc.gov; and our Twitter and Facebook
accounts. The public can also submit comments to the department through the Track-DC Portal.
In 2015, DISB will continue to share information with the public using the above-mentioned
methods. We are also exploring the possibility of expanding our digital technology capability to
include a mobile version of disb.dc.gov that will make viewing of information easier on mobile
phones and tablets. We are also exploring the creation of 30-second video segments to cover
public programs and topics in collaboration with the Office of Cable Television.
3)
Collaboration
Describe the steps your agency has taken or plans to take to enhance or expand
cooperation among departments, other governmental agencies, the public, and nonprofit and private entities in fulfilling its obligations.
As the District’s financial regulator and consumer advocate, we collaborate daily with local and
federal government agencies, community and neighborhood groups, nonprofits, trade
associations, private entities and others to meet our obligations in working with the public.
Examples include the ongoing working relationship with D.C. Health Benefit Exchange
Authority and the insurance industry on health plan rates for DC Health Link. During the
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implementation of DC Health Link, DISB was one of the District Government agencies charged
with Affordable Care Act implementation responsibilities.
DISB also participates in a number of other groups including the Washington, D.C. Economic
Development Partnership Council, DC Silver Jackets (District of Columbia Flood Risk
Management Team), DC Elder Abuse Prevention Committee, DC Motor Vehicle Theft
Prevention Commission, National Health Care Anti-Fraud Association and the Investor
Protection Trust, among others.
DISB also works closely with local, state and federal law enforcement as well as the District’s
U.S. Attorney’s Office to fight financial fraud, scams and illegal activity in the District. We also
partner closely with several national and local nonprofits and trade associations on financial
education efforts in the District.
We will continue to work with these organizations and others to make the department’s efforts as
transparent as possible.
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GOVERNMENT OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA
[INSERT AGENCY NAME]
Open Government Report 2014
To institutionalize a culture of transparent and open government, accountability, and to
expand opportunities for resident participation and collaboration, this Report describes
how the Office of Motion Picture and Television Development has and will continue to
develop and enhance transparency, public participation, and collaboration. In accordance
with Mayor’s Order 2014-170, this report addresses the following topics:
1)
Transparency
The Office of Motion Picture and Television Development (MPTD) is committed to
sharing all agency public information documents including press releases, a listing of
current film events, a listing of career and casting opportunities, updated fact sheets
regarding productions that have filmed in the District over the last several years, and
relevant production information for current multimedia projects that have approved
permits to film in the District on the MPTD web site. MPTD also shares or provides
links to information regarding MPTD’s staff, performance plans, budget, and permit
policies on the Open Government page of its web site.
MPTD meets obligations pursuant to the District’s Freedom of Information Act
(FOIA) and Open Meetings Act by clearly stating on our web site how to file a FOIA
request, the contact information for the FOIA Officer, and providing a link to the
FOIA Reading Room. MPTD also has a policy of responding to FOIA requests within
the designated response time of 15 business days, unless it is determined that the
request qualifies for an extension of 10 business days.
The Office of Motion Picture and Television Development is working closely with
the Office of the City Administrator (OCA) and the Office of the Chief Technology
Officer (OCTO) to identify a significant number of datasets that OCA and OCTO
expect to publish online later this year. If no dataset from the Office of Motion
Picture is selected to be included in this 2014 release, we will continue to work with
OCA and OCTO to identify datasets appropriate to publish in 2015. In the future,
requirements for open data reporting will be provided by the Chief Data Officer.
2)
Public Engagement and Participation
MPTD values the feedback and welcomes the engagement and input of its
stakeholders. As a result, MPTD regularly hosts and participates in meetings with
each stakeholder group including filmmakers, location and production managers, and
individuals seeking to break into the industry of film and television. MPTD identifies
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these stakeholders through referrals, networking, and its own research of film and
media professionals in the District.
MPTD is also committed to keeping the community informed of the work that we do
through press release postings on our web site as well as through social media
platforms and our quarterly newsletter. We invite our followers on Twitter and
Facebook to offer feedback on the initiatives we launch and tell us how we can better
serve our stakeholders. Additionally, whenever a multimedia production has received
a permit to film, we alert the necessary businesses, ANC commissioners, and
Councilmember offices via email and a letter to ensure that they and their constituents
are made aware of any disruption that may be caused due to filming.
3)
Collaboration
Many of MPTD’s large scale projects require the cooperation of other District
government agencies including the Department of Transportation (DDOT) and the
Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) as well as federal agencies such as the
National Park Service (NPS) and the U.S. Capitol Police. Therefore, it has been
extremely important for MPTD to develop relationships with representatives of these
agencies to better service our stakeholders. Over the last year, MPTD has sought to
build better relationships and engage agency partners through regular meetings and
other forms of communication. MPTD also is in the process of working concurrently
with the Office of the Chief Technology Officer (OCTO) and other agency partners to
design and implement a customized internal D.C. government database that will make
the permitting process more efficient and reliable for our customers.
Additionally MPTD, under the new direction of Pierre Bagley, is currently working
on creating a networking and partnership strategy that identifies important external
partnerships and charts how MPTD will manage and maintain ongoing relationships
with key external partners moving forward.
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GOVERNMENT OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA
Office of the State Superintendent of Education (OSSE)
Open Government Report 2014
To institutionalize a culture of transparent and open government, accountability, and to expand
opportunities for resident participation and collaboration, this Report describes how the Office of the
State Superintendent of Education (OSSE) has and will continue to develop and enhance
transparency, public participation, and collaboration. In accordance with Mayor’s Order 2014-170,
this report addresses the following topics:
Transparency
Sharing information with the public
Agency website:
All documents intended for public consumption are published on the Publications page of our
website.
Press Releases:
All press releases are posted to the Press Releases section of our Newsroom page as well as on the
Featured News section of the homepage.
Meeting obligations pursuant with the District’s Freedom of Information
Act and Open Meetings Act
FOIA Webpage:
All documents and document feeds are posted to the Open Government and FOIA page of our
website.
Steps to increase public access to Information
Social Media:
OSSE uses social media (i.e., Facebook, Twitter) to share important information with the public.
Steps to make more of our data available to the public
OSSE is working closely with the Office of the City Administrator (OCA) and the Office of the
Chief Technology Officer (OCTO) to identify a significant number of datasets that OCA and OCTO
expect to publish online later this year. If no dataset from OSSE is selected to be included in this
2014 release, we will continue to work with OCA and OCTO to identify datasets appropriate to
publish in 2015. In the future, requirements for open data reporting will be provided by the Chief
Data Officer.
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Public Engagement and Participation
Providing online access to proposed rules and regulations and securing
public input on them
Currently, our proposed policies, rules, and regulations are posted to the Publications page of our
website in the Policy and Regulations types, respectively. Feedback is received either through
Google Forms or email.
Sharing information and resources to keep the public properly informed
FOIA Page:
All materials for public information along with portals to GradeDC can be found on our Open
Government and FOIA page.
Agency sidebar:
The public can also find a portal to provide feedback on our Agency Sidebar that appears on the lefthand side of every page. The OSSE Agency Sidebar has links to our Facebook, Twitter, Youtube,
Wordpress, GovDelivery newsletter opt-in, Pinterest, GradeDC, and the “Ask the Superintendent”
form.
Identifying stakeholders and inviting their participation
Throughout the year, OSSE participates in numerous community meetings and forums to engage
stakeholders in various education related topics. Additionally, OSSE regularly seek public input
through surveys and opportunities for public comment on key policies and regulations.
Improving public engagement and participation
OSSE will continue to participate in regular public meetings and forums as well as engage the public
in surveys and opportunities for public comment on key policies and regulations.
Collaboration
OSSE regularly collaborates with other District government agencies, community organizations and
non-profit/private organizations through MOUs, joint partnerships and community engagement
events. OSSE’s senior leaders are members of public/private taskforces and working groups aimed at
improving the education of District youth. Additionally, the agency obtains public feedback via its
website on key policies and regulations. The agency will continue to improve collaborative efforts
with all parties through public engagement events as well as digital media initiatives.
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