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    Sunshine Week Joint Letter Final

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    Defending Rights & Dissent
    Defending Dissent Foundation joined 22 other pro-transparency groups suggesting ways the Obama administration could celebrate Sunshine week. We're halfway through the week, and, as yet, nada. Here's what we asked President Obama to do: 1. Support the FOIA Reform Act. It's in Congress now, it has bi-partisan support, and it enacts suggestions made by the President himself. [note: you can send an email to your members of Congress asking them to support the bill here]. 2. Release the drafts of the TPP (Trans Pacific Partnership) and the T-TIP (Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership), so that Americans can weigh in on treaty provisions that impact internet freedom, public health and more. 3. Disclose how many people in the U.S. are getting their data swept up by the NSA and FBI under various authorities. The USA Freedom Act would require disclosure of FISA data... the President supports that bill, there is no reason he has to wait for Congress to pass it to do what is right. 4. Issue a statement of support for restoring Intelligence Community contractor whistleblower protections. Right now, if a contractor blows the whistle on waste, fraud or abuse they are defenseless against retaliation. Let's see if the President will live up to his claim that his adminstration is the most transparent ever. He still has a few days left this week.

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    Sunshine Week Joint Letter Final

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    Defending Rights & Dissent
    33 views2 pages
    Defending Dissent Foundation joined 22 other pro-transparency groups suggesting ways the Obama administration could celebrate Sunshine week. We're halfway through the week, and, as yet, nada. Here's what we asked President Obama to do: 1. Support the FOIA Reform Act. It's in Congress now, it has bi-partisan support, and it enacts suggestions made by the President himself. [note: you can send an email to your members of Congress asking them to support the bill here]. 2. Release the drafts of the TPP (Trans Pacific Partnership) and the T-TIP (Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership), so that Americans can weigh in on treaty provisions that impact internet freedom, public health and more. 3. Disclose how many people in the U.S. are getting their data swept up by the NSA and FBI under various authorities. The USA Freedom Act would require disclosure of FISA data... the President supports that bill, there is no reason he has to wait for Congress to pass it to do what is right. 4. Issue a statement of support for restoring Intelligence Community contractor whistleblower protections. Right now, if a contractor blows the whistle on waste, fraud or abuse they are defenseless against retaliation. Let's see if the President will live up to his claim that his adminstration is the most transparent ever. He still has a few days left this week.

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    Defending Dissent Foundation joined 22 other pro-transparency groups suggesting ways the Obama administration could celebrate Sunshine week. We're halfway through the week, and, as yet, nada. Here's what we asked President Obama to do: 1. Support the FOIA Reform Act. It's in Congress now, it has bi-partisan support, and it enacts suggestions made by the President himself. [note: you can send an email to your members of Congress asking them to support the bill here]. 2. Release the drafts of the TPP (Trans Pacific Partnership) and the T-TIP (Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership), so that Americans can weigh in on treaty provisions that impact internet freedom, public health and more. 3. Disclose how many people in the U.S. are getting their data swept up by the NSA and FBI under various authorities. The USA Freedom Act would require disclosure of FISA data... the President supports that bill, there is no reason he has to wait for Congress to pass it to do what is right. 4. Issue a statement of support for restoring Intelligence Community contractor whistleblower protections. Right now, if a contractor blows the whistle on waste, fraud or abuse they are defenseless against retaliation. Let's see if the President will live up to his claim that his adminstration is the most transparent ever. He still has a few days left this week.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
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    33 views2 pages

    Sunshine Week Joint Letter Final

    Uploaded by

    Defending Rights & Dissent
    Defending Dissent Foundation joined 22 other pro-transparency groups suggesting ways the Obama administration could celebrate Sunshine week. We're halfway through the week, and, as yet, nada. Here's what we asked President Obama to do: 1. Support the FOIA Reform Act. It's in Congress now, it has bi-partisan support, and it enacts suggestions made by the President himself. [note: you can send an email to your members of Congress asking them to support the bill here]. 2. Release the drafts of the TPP (Trans Pacific Partnership) and the T-TIP (Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership), so that Americans can weigh in on treaty provisions that impact internet freedom, public health and more. 3. Disclose how many people in the U.S. are getting their data swept up by the NSA and FBI under various authorities. The USA Freedom Act would require disclosure of FISA data... the President supports that bill, there is no reason he has to wait for Congress to pass it to do what is right. 4. Issue a statement of support for restoring Intelligence Community contractor whistleblower protections. Right now, if a contractor blows the whistle on waste, fraud or abuse they are defenseless against retaliation. Let's see if the President will live up to his claim that his adminstration is the most transparent ever. He still has a few days left this week.

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    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
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    President Barack Obama

    The White House


    1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW
    Washington, DC 20500

    March 10, 2015

    Re: Requested White House Actions in Commemoration of Sunshine Week 2015


    Dear President Obama:
    Throughout the United States, federal and state government, media, non-profits, and the public will be
    celebrating Sunshine Week, an annual event spotlighting the right to know, from March 15th 21st. The
    time is ripe, therefore, not only to examine the state of access to government information, but also to
    make strong advances in government openness. At the very outset of your Presidency, you committed
    to increase government transparency and accountability. We, the undersigned organizations, ask that
    you take the following steps this Sunshine Week to honor that commitment:

    Support the Presumption of Openness in FOIA Reform


    The Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) is the foundational tool for the public to request information
    about government activities. There is a bipartisan and bicameral effort in Congress right now to
    strengthen FOIA. In support of these efforts, the White House should issue a formal public statement of
    support for Congressional initiatives to codify the Administrations own directive and its strong
    presumption of openness. For a more open government, the Administration should support legislation
    that ensures agencies may not withhold information unless they reasonably foresee that disclosure will
    cause specific identifiable harm to an interest protected by an existing exemption, or if the disclosure is
    prohibited by law.
    Release the Drafts of the TPP and T-TIP Pacts
    The United States Trade Representatives negotiations on the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) and
    Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (T-TIP) trade agreements have remained shrouded in
    secrecy. Without access to information about these negotiations, the public has been and continues to
    be denied the opportunity to express their views about agreements impacting everything from the
    internet to intellectual property to public health.
    Proactively Disclose FISA Data for which Disclosure Would be Mandated under Sen. Leahys 2014
    USA Freedom Act
    The White House rightly supported the reforms outlined in Senator Leahys USA Freedom Act in the
    previous Congress. These reforms would have included a requirement that our intelligence agencies
    report on the total number of individuals or unique accounts whose information is collected under
    multiple surveillance authorities, and on the number of those who likely were U.S. persons (or, if that
    were not technically feasible to determine, the number who likely were located in the United States).
    Whether or not Congress statutorily requires such disclosures, your Administration can take those steps
    independently to promote better public understanding and appropriate oversight of US surveillance
    programs.

    Issue a Statement of Support for Restoring Intelligence Community Contractor Whistleblower


    Protections
    Intelligence community contractors are currently defenseless against retaliation for disclosing
    government waste, fraud and abuse. Congress has worked to expand whistleblower protections
    throughout your Presidency, and restoration of protections for intelligence contractors would help to
    safeguard taxpayer dollars and encourage greater accountability. This Sunshine Week, the White House
    should make clear its support for restoration of these critical protections.
    We hope that you will take these steps to further government openness and accountability, Mr.
    President, and look forward to working with your Administration this Sunshine Week and beyond to
    those ends.
    Sincerely,

    American Booksellers for Free Expression

    Food & Water Watch

    American Library Association

    Government Accountability Project

    American Society of News Editors

    James Madison Project

    Association of Alternative Newsmedia

    National Freedom of Information Coalition

    Association of Research Libraries

    New England First Amendment Coalition

    Bill of Rights Defense Committee

    OpenTheGovernment.org

    Brennan Center for Justice

    Pesticide Action Network North America

    Center for Effective Government

    Project On Government Oversight

    Center for Science and Democracy at the Union


    of Concerned Scientists

    Public Citizen

    Defending Dissent Foundation


    DownsizeDC.org, Inc.

    Society of American Archivists


    Society of Professional Journalists
    Sunlight Foundation

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