[Federal Register Volume 89, Number 177 (Thursday, September 12, 2024)]
[Notices]
[Pages 74275-74276]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2024-20702]


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GENERAL SERVICES ADMINISTRATION

[Notice-ME-2024-04; Docket No.2024-0002; Sequence No. 41]


Seeking Public Input for the 6th U.S. Open Government National 
Action Plan

AGENCY: Office of Government-wide Policy (OGP); General Services 
Administration (GSA).

ACTION: Notice; request for public comment.

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SUMMARY: This notice informs the public that the United States Federal 
Government is initiating the co-creation process for its 6th U.S. Open 
Government National Action Plan. The GSA is inviting input from a wide 
and diverse array of stakeholders from the public, private, advocacy, 
not-for-profit, and philanthropic sectors, including State, local, 
Tribal, and territorial governments. This Request for Information (RFI) 
aims to gather ideas, suggestions, and recommendations for commitments 
that could be included in the 6th U.S. Open Government National Action 
Plan.

DATES: Responses to this Request for Information should be received by 
Tuesday, November 12, 2024.

ADDRESSES: Submit comments in response to Notice ``Docket GSA-GSA-2024-
0016'' by http://www.regulations.gov. Submit comments via the Federal 
eRulemaking portal by searching for ``GSA-GSA-2024-0016.'' Select the 
link ``Comment Now'' that corresponds with ``GSA-GSA-2024-0016.'' 
Follow the instructions provided at the screen. Please include your 
name, organization name (if any), and ``Docket GSA-GSA-2024-0016'' on 
your attached document. All received public comments are subject to the 
Freedom of Information Act and will be posted in their entirety at 
regulations.gov, including any personal and business confidential 
information provided. Do not include any information you would not like 
to be made publicly available.
    Instructions for Submission: Please review and follow the 
guidelines in the attached public commenting policy within Docket GSA-
GSA-2024-0016. Written comments should not exceed two (2) pages. 
Attachments or linked resources or documents are not included in the 
two-page limit. Please use concise, plain language in a narrative or 
bullet format. GSA has provided some key questions on which public 
insights would be most valuable (see Supplementary Information, Part 
III). You may respond to some or all of these questions. Any links you 
provide to online materials or presentations must be publicly 
accessible. Each submitted response should include:
     The name of the individual(s) or organization(s) 
responding.
     A brief description of the responding individual(s) or 
organization(s)'s mission and areas of experience and expertise.
     Optional--Contact information for questions and other 
follow-up on your response.
     RFI question(s), topic(s), and policy suggestions that 
your submission and materials address.
    Please feel free to share this RFI with colleagues or others for 
feedback.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Alexis Masterson, U.S. Open Government 
Secretariat, Office of Government-wide Policy, by email at 
[email protected] or by phone at 703-627-4850.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

I. Background

    The United States is a founding member of the Open Government 
Partnership (OGP), a voluntary, global alliance between governments and 
civil society to bolster democracy through openness, transparency, and 
public engagement. At the core of OGP is a belief in community-centered 
governance, and a pledge to transform the way the public sector serves 
and is accountable to its people. As a multi-tiered platform, OGP 
includes country-level and local government-level members, as well as 
thousands of civil society organization partners. OGP members are 
required to work and collaborate with civil society to create national 
or local action plans every two to three years, implement meaningful 
transparency and accountability commitments, publicly report on 
progress, and submit to independent monitoring and reporting. This RFI 
will provide input into the 6th U.S. Open Government National Action 
Plan the United States is developing under this initiative. You can 
access the previous U.S. Open Government National Action Plans in the 
resource section of the new U.S. Open Government Secretariat website at 
https://www.gsa.gov/usopengov.
    The Open Government Secretariat, in collaboration with the White 
House

[[Page 74276]]

Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) and the new Open 
Government Federal Advisory Committee, is leading the development of 
the 6th U.S. Open Government National Action Plan. The U.S. Open 
Government Secretariat is responsible for coordinating this effort and 
ensuring the plan reflects the input and priorities of diverse 
stakeholders.
    This RFI is intended to gather diverse ideas and suggestions for 
the U.S.'s 6th Open Government National Action Plan. Your input is 
crucial in shaping a plan that reflects the needs and priorities of the 
American people. In addition to, or as an alternative to, submitting 
written feedback in response to this RFI, you are invited to attend a 
virtual listening session hosted by GSA on Wednesday, October 9, 2024 
from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. ET. This on-the-record and recorded session 
offers an opportunity to gain further insight and provide live input. 
Registration is required. Please register for the event at https://gsa.zoomgov.com/meeting/register/vJItceygrDMqHB0Ia7An4tyg9Gx3xlKFVQA.

II. Considerations for Responses

    When submitting your ideas, please keep in mind that all potential 
commitments must align with the resource constraints of the U.S. 
government. This includes considerations such as budget, personnel, and 
the feasibility of implementation. Commitments included in the 6th U.S. 
Open Government National Action Plan will need to be specific, 
measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound (SMART).
    Respondents are encouraged to structure their ideas around one of 
the 10 challenge themes in the Open Government Challenge, available at 
https://www.opengovpartnership.org/the-open-gov-challenge. These themes 
provide a comprehensive framework to structure responses and ensure all 
aspects of open government are considered.
    The U.S. Open Government Secretariat values all contributions and 
will carefully review each submission based on the above criteria. GSA 
will review and consider the usability and applicability of each of the 
responses to this RFI in shaping the 6th U.S. Open Government National 
Action Plan. That being said, all RFI responses will be made available 
to the Open Government Federal Advisory Committee as input into their 
official recommendations to the commitments that should be included in 
the 6th U.S. Open Government National Action Plan. To help refine your 
proposals, respondents may wish to review previous U.S. Open Government 
National Action Plans (https://www.gsa.gov/governmentwide-initiatives/us-open-government/resources#tab--National-Action-Plans) to see if 
similar ideas have been addressed before.

III. Topics and Key Questions

    You are invited to provide ideas for new topics and commitments 
that could be included in the 6th U.S. Open Government National Action 
Plan. Respondents do not need to respond to every question and may 
provide additional feedback for the U.S. Open Government Secretariat to 
consider in developing and implementing the 6th U.S. Open Government 
National Action Plan. Specifically, GSA is looking for:
    1. Problem Identification: Please explain a specific problem that 
open government can address. Identify unmet needs, broken processes, 
and problems around transparency, participation, and accountability. 
Explain how open government commitments can deliver a more responsive, 
equitable, and accountable government for and by the people.
    2. Opportunities to Build on Existing Work: Identify existing work 
by a federal government agency or outside of the government, such as by 
civil society individuals or nongovernmental organizations, that can be 
built upon to support open government efforts. How can these efforts be 
expanded or enhanced to create meaningful commitments?
    3. Innovative Approaches: What innovative approaches or emerging 
technologies could the government explore to enhance transparency, 
public participation, and accountability? How could these be integrated 
into the 6th U.S. Open Government National Action Plan?
    4. Resources and Recommendations: Suggest existing reports, 
collections of recommendations, and landscape analyses that can help 
inform a comprehensive, responsive, and evidence-based co-creation 
process for the 6th U.S. Open Government National Action Plan.

Mehul Parekh,
Acting Associate Administrator, Office of Government-wide Policy, 
General Services Administration.
[FR Doc. 2024-20702 Filed 9-11-24; 8:45 am]
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