Launched nationally in 2005, Sunshine Week, a “National initiative to promote a dialogue about the importance of open government and freedom of information” (New Leaders Association) is held every March, in honor of the birthdate of James Madison, considered the Father of the United States Constitution, and a notable protector of Free Speech.
Among the local highlights of the 2024 observance: “a new series of workshops intended to increase the accessibility of the (State) Department’s Open Government resources and data tools and visualizations”, spearheaded by Civil Liberties Guru/Secretary of State Gregg Amore.
For more information about Sunshine Week, visit Sunshine Week – March 10-16, 2024!
From The Office of Rhode Island Secretary of State Gregg M. Amore:
Secretary of State Gregg M. Amore and the RI Department of State today announced a new series of workshops intended to increase the accessibility of the Department’s Open Government resources and data tools and visualizations.
The workshops will be held during Sunshine Week, an annual recognition of the importance of accessible, open government resources.
“One of my main focuses as Secretary of State is ensuring that Rhode Islanders are able to learn about, access, and participate in their government,” said Secretary of State Gregg M. Amore. “The RI Department of State offers many resources that allow users to better understand our elections processes, Rhode Island’s business landscape, and legislative activity, and I encourage anyone who is interested to attend these sessions to learn more about how to use these tools.”
The RI Department of State Sunshine Week webinar series will focus on four main topics:
3/12 – 12 p.m. – Public Laws, Bill Searching, & the State Library – This workshop will provide a demonstration of how to research public laws in Rhode Island and how to use the State Library’s resources to access our government.
3/13 – 12 p.m. – Elections & Voter Turnout – This workshop will cover how to use the voter turnout tracker during an election cycle, as well as historical voting information such as voting method and demographic information, the mail-ballot drop box locator, and how to find a map of your legislative districts.
3/14 – 12 p.m. – Open Government & Lobbying – This workshop will provide an overview of the RI Department of State’s Open Government resources, including the Open Meetings Portal, the Lobby Tracker tool, and contact information for government officials.
3/15 – 12 p.m. – Business Services Data Hub – This workshop will provide an overview of the RI Business Data Hub, a collection of interactive tools to explore business data collected by the RI Department of State. This workshop will also cover how to use the Corporate Database to find details about a particular business or non-profit.
The workshops will take place virtually via Zoom and be recorded.
Those interested can learn more about each workshop and register online here.
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