It's Sunshine Week!

March 11-17 is Sunshine Week, a national initiative to underscore the importance of open government and freedom of information. In a time of increasing government secrecy, "sunshine" laws promote transparency and often include provisions for ombuds to assist consumers. Both the US Senate and the House of Representatives have scheduled legislative action during Sunshine Week that the Sunshine in Government Initiative says collectively represent "the biggest advancement in open government laws in years." (SunshineWeek.org.)