Open access to the democratic process: the Open House project
The Open House project in the U.S. is a bipartisan effort that formulated 10 proposals to insure that the delibative and legislative processes of the U.S. Congress are open and transparent and open to all.
They are formulated am executive summary of their report available in pdf format, and you can also watch the following video.
The ten points they came up with are very usable for every parliamentary institution in the world:
1. Legislation Database-publish legislative data in structured formats
2. Preserving Congressional Information -protect congressional information through archiving and distribution
3. Congressional Committees -recognize committees as a public resource by making committee information available online
4. Congressional Research Service-share non-partisan research beyond Congress
5. Member Web-Use Restrictions -permit members to take full advantage of internet resources
6. Citizen Journalism Access -grant House access to non-traditional journalists
7. The Office of the Clerk of the House – serve as a source for digital disclosure information
8. The Congressional Record – maintain the veracity of a historical document
9. Congressional Video – create open video access to House proceedings
10. Coordinating Web Standards -commit to technology reform as an administrative priority
