U.S. Open Government resources

We have a range of policies, tools, and resources to strengthen open government, public participation, and community engagement.

Logo for U.S. Open Government Secretariat in red and blue

The U.S. Open Government Secretariat at GSA works with American citizens and federal agencies to strengthen transparency, public engagement, and accountability across the federal government to better serve the American people. Our work supports GSA’s mission to improve government efficiency, maximize value for taxpayers, and strengthen public trust.

We promote a culture of performance and accountability by making government data and decisions more accessible. By increasing transparency in federal operations and through embracing modern technology, we help prevent waste, fraud, and abuse and improve how the government shares information and engages with the public.

Through these efforts, we help make the government more effective, responsive, and accessible to all.

Key priorities

The Secretariat is tasked with:

  • Leading federal efforts to identify new open government opportunities and implement existing commitments outlined in the U.S. Open Government national action plans.
  • Leading reporting on existing commitments outlined in existing national action plans.
  • Conducting engagement sessions with civic organizations and members of federal, state, and local governments.
  • Actively collaborating with the public to ensure that commitments meet the needs and priorities of all Americans.

Daniel W. York
Director, U.S. Open Government Secretariat Program Management Office
U.S. General Services Administration
OpenGovernmentSecretariat@gsa.gov

Kiril Jakimovski
Anti-Corruption & Governance Policy Officer, Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor, Office of Multilateral and Global Affairs, U.S. Department of State
JakimovskiK@state.gov

USAID POC TBD

 

Light blue report cover with seal and text Fifth U.S. Open Government National Action Plan
Dark blue report cover with seal and text The Open Government Partnership, Fourth Open Government National Action Plan, February 2019
Dark blue report cover with seal and text The Open Government Partnership, Third Open Government National Action Plan, October 2015
Dark blue report cover with seal and text The Open Government Partnership, Second Open Government National Action Plan, December 2013
Dark blue report cover with seal and text The Open Government Partnership, National Action Plan, February 2019

Over the last 15 years, the United States has adopted a wide array of policies, guides, directives, and statutes aimed at mainstreaming open government practices across the federal government. If we missed an important policy, please let us know by using our feedback form.

Policy and guides

Key open government related legislation

2021–2022

  • Access to Congressionally Mandated Reports Act §7241 (2022) (P.L. 117-263) — Requires agencies who are required by law to submit reports to Congress to also submit some of those reports to GPO’s online repository, and tracks what reports are due and when they are submitted
  • Periodically Listing Updates to Management (PLUM) Act §5321 (2022) (P.L. 117-263) — Requires OPM to annually publish an online list of senior government officials, including appointed positions, including information about those individuals and whether the position is vacant
  • Financial Data Transparency Act (2022) §5801 (P.L. 117-263) — Requires federal financial regulatory agencies to adopt specified data standards with respect to format, searchability, and transparency
  • Apportionment Transparency (2022) §204 (P.L. 117-328) — Requires OMB to publish online each document apportioning an appropriation, including accompanying footnotes, in an open government data format
  • Courthouse Ethics and Transparency Act (2021) (P.L. 117-125) — Requires federal judicial officers, bankruptcy judges, and magistrate judges to file periodic transaction reports disclosing certain securities transactions and for that information to be publicly disclosed online
  • Congressional Budget Justification Transparency Act (2021) (P.L. 117-40) — Requires federal agencies to publish their Congressional Budget Justifications online and directs OMB to compile this into a single searchable website, and to track when the reports are submitted
  • Corporate Transparency Act (2021) §6401 (P.L. 116-283) — Requires certain business entities (each defined as a “reporting company”) to file information on their “beneficial owners” with the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (“FinCEN”) of the U.S. Department of Treasury
  • Taxpayers’ Right to Know Act (2021) §9601 (P.L. 116-283) — Requires OMB to create a public inventory of federal programs and provide for regular updates to the information

2019–2020

  • Oversight.gov (2020) §621 (P.L. 116-6) Provides funding for Oversight.gov, a website containing reports from most federal Inspectors General
  • Grant Reporting Efficiency and Agreements Transparency Act of 2019 (2019) (P.L. 116-103) — Requires the establishment and use of data standards for information reported by recipients of federal grants and the publication of recipient-reported data collected from all agencies on a single public website.
  • Taxpayer First Act (2019) §3101 (P.L. 116-25) — Mandates electronic filing and online publication of 990 (non-profit) tax forms
  • Open, Public, Electronic and Necessary (OPEN) Government Data Act §201 (2019) (P.L. 115-435) — Defines the term open data, creates minimal standards for making federal government data available to the public, requires the federal government to use open data to improve decision making, and establishes and formalizes Chief Data Officer (CDO) at federal agencies, codifies data.gov
  • GAO-IG Act (2019) (P.L. 115-331) — Requires federal agencies to report in their annual Congressional Budget Justifications information about open and closed GAO recommendations

2017–2018

  • Equal Access to Congressional Research Reports Act §154 (2018) (P.L. 115-141) — Requires CRS Reports to be made publicly available as of the date of enactment
  • Filing by Senate Candidates with Commission Division D, Title I (2018) (P.L. 115-244) — Requires all Senate candidates to file their election reports electronically with the FEC

2015–2016

  • FOIA Improvement Act of 2016 (2016) (P.L. 114-185) — Strengths FOIA’s public disclosure provisions, requires records requested 3 times to published online automatically, limits the timeframe wherein agencies can withhold agency communications, codifies FOIA.gov
  • Whistleblower Protection Enhancement Act of 2016 (2016) (P.L. 114-302) — Prohibits an FBI employee from taking or failing to take a personnel action (e.g., demotion) with respect to an FBI employee or applicant because of a protected disclosure, i.e., one concerning (1) a violation of a law, rule, or regulation; or (2) waste, fraud, or abuse.
  • Declassification of Decisions, Orders, and Opinions of the FISA Court §402 (2015) (P.L. 114-23) — Requires Declassification and Publication of Significant FISC Opinions, interpreted by DNI to only apply to Opinions from 2015 forward; § 602 Annual Reports By the Government — Requires Disclosure of Significant Statistical Information about the use of surveillance authorities

2013–2014

  • The Digital Accountability and Transparency Act (2014) (P.L. 113-101) — Establishes a website where the federal government discloses its expenditures and sets data standards for those disclosures
  • Intelligence Community Whistleblower Protections (2013) Title VI (P.L. 113-126) — Extends whistleblower protections to agencies the principal function of which is the conduct of foreign intelligence or counterintelligence activities; extends some reprisal protections; allows appeals of clearance determinations; creates a conflict of interest provision regarding an IG’s transmission of communications to Congress; etc.

2010–2012

  • STOCK Act (2012) (P.L. 112-105) — Requires disclosures of stock trading by some government officials
  • Reducing Overclassification Act (2010) (P.L. 111-258) — requires DHS to train and educate law enforcement on responding to requests for classified material; require the DNI to standardize formats for un/classified intel products to promote sharing of those products; allows agency heads to reward employees for properly classifying documents; directs ISOO to assess whether agencies are properly administering classification practices; requires training for employees with original classification authority

In the news

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Last updated: Feb 27, 2025
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