- Bush Allies in Congress Block Bill That Would Require Intelligence Disclosures - FDA's Web overhaul won't inform public, critics say - First Generation E-Rulemaking: An Assessment of Regulatory Agency Websites - Government Websites and Political Engagement: Facilitating Citizen Entry into the Policy Process Patrice McDermott, Director OpenTheGovernment.org www.openthegovernment.org 202.332.OPEN (6736) - BUSH ALLIES IN CONGRESS BLOCK BILL THAT WOULD REQUIRE INTELLIGENCE DISCLOSURES By Mark Mazzetti April 17, 2007 The Bush administration’s allies in Congress on Monday blocked a bill that would require the White House to disclose the locations of secret prisons run by the Central Intelligence Agency and to reveal the amount spent annually by American intelligence agencies. more *** - FDA'S WEB OVERHAUL WON'T INFORM PUBLIC, CRITICS SAY By Aliya Sternstein April 16, 2007 Contrary to the expectations of the Food and Drug Administration, a planned overhaul of the FDA's Web site will not generate a better informed public, some health experts say. On Friday, FDA Commissioner Andrew von Eschenbach sent a memorandum to FDA staff, stating, "A modern and effective FDA Web site is critically important for the agency to serve the public. Improving our Web site will help us to further cultivate trust, transparency, and communication among all of our stakeholders." In Friday's notice, Eschenbach stated that the first piece of the new, improved Web environment will be the launch of "a user-friendly" Web page: "Consumer Health Information for You and Your Family." The agency will discontinue the printing of FDA Consumer magazine, shifting resources to "more effective modern communication vehicles, such as a consumer health information e-newsletter." more [National Journal's Technology Daily via GovExec] *** - FIRST GENERATION E-RULEMAKING: AN ASSESSMENT OF REGULATORY AGENCY WEBSITES Stuart Shapiro, Rutgers University, Cary Coglianese, Univ of Penn Law School The authors examine 89 websites from federal regulatory agencies in order to evaluate their ease of use for those interested in commenting on or learning about their proposed regulations. more *** - GOVERNMENT WEBSITES AND POLITICAL ENGAGEMENT: FACILITATING CITIZEN ENTRY INTO THE POLICY PROCESS Center for Research on Information Technology and Organizations, University of California-Irvine Previous research shows that in the United States, municipal government websites contain both participatory and consumer elements; however, these websites are generally designed to facilitate consumption of government services rather than participation in the policy process. The evidence indicates that ...there is reason to believe that the Internet could become a vehicle to foster greater participation. The paper concludes with suggestions on constructing municipal government websites to facilitate greater participation. Link to paper