GOVERNMENT OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA
[OFFICE OF WOMEN’S POLICY & INITIATIVES]

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 Women’s Policy & Initiatives 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 OWPI shares information with the public through the District’s
register and the agency’s website.


How the agency meets its obligations pursuant to the District’s Freedom of
Information Act and Open Meetings Act.
o OWPI hosts monthly meetings the first Thursday of each month in
collaboration with the DC Commission for Women. These meetings
are announced through the District register.



Steps your agency will take to increase public access to information.
o OWPI will continue to use the various methods of access to
information stated above. In addition, our goal is to produce monthly
newsletters beginning October 2014 that will be distributed through
our list serve. Minute notes will also be included on the website for
public access.



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 The Commission is scheduled to host a strategic planning meeting with
OWPI staff in November. During this planning meeting, the
Commission will begin to formulate a timeline to implement webcast
broadcasting of monthly meetings. Our meetings take place in the
Mayor’s ceremonial room, so access to webcast should be
implemented within 60 day.
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

How your agency has taken or plans to take steps to make more of its data
available to the public.

•

OWPI 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 OWPI 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
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 OWPI routinely publizes proposed rules and regulations that impact
the status and well-being of women and girls in the District. This
information is posted on the home page of our website as released.
Link to site: www.women.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.
o The agency shares information and resources with the public through
our website, active list serve, monthly newsletters on issues of
importance, and through social media. The public’s feedback is also
encouraged through these various methods as well.



How your agency identifies stakeholders and invites their participation.
o OWPI works closely with the DC Commission for Women to identify
priority areas of focus that impact the quality of living for women and
girls here in the District. Once identified, the agency works with our
network of government agencies, key stakeholders, and nonprofit
partners to work together to address these priority areas through
policy and collaboration of services. We invite participation through
workshops, community meetings, meet and greets, and listening
sessions with community residents.
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3)

Steps your agency will take to improve public engagement and participation
including any new feedback tools or mechanisms the agency is considering.
o We will continue to conduct listening sessions throughout the city to
increase public engagement and awareness on issues of importance to
women and girls.

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.
o The Agency will continue to look for ways to increase our interaction
with governmental agencies, the public, and non-profit and private
entities to fulfill the obligations of the agency. We will look to host
issue oriented forum which will bring together the above partners in
an effort to increase a spirit of collaboration.


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 N/A

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