Murphey Joins Free Law Founders

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The Free Law Founders (FLF) today announced that Oklahoma Representative Jason Murphey and the Congressional Data Coalition have joined its ranks. A nation-wide group of elected officials, government workers, policy experts and civic technologists, the FLF exists to share resources and expertise around opening up laws, legislation, and the lawmaking process online so that citizens can access, understand, and help shape the policies that affect their lives.

Over the past six years, Representative Murphey has chaired the Oklahoma legislature’s Committee on Government Modernization. An open government pioneer in the state, he introduced legislation applying the state’s open information laws to its legislature. He also successfully introduced legislation requiring the state’s Chief Technology Officer to prioritize the use of open source software in the Oklahoma state government, and remains committed to updating and streamlining the government’s operations.

The Congressional Data Coalition, comprised of 17 organizations, encourages Congress to release information on its activities, recommends standards for the production and dissemination of Congressional data, and educates Congress on the benefits of open information.

“As the Web now provides for the distribution and standardization of information like never before possible, there’s no longer a good excuse for government to keep its laws and rules out of immediate public purview,” said Representative Murphey. “I am excited to join with Free Law Founders in the effort to facilitate this access.”

“Rule of law is at the heart of a democratic society, but public access to the legislative process has fallen behind the needs of a modern society,” said Daniel Schuman, Chairman of the Congressional Data Coalition. “Now is the time to modernize how democracy works in the 21st century, which is why the Congressional Data Coalition is pleased to join the Free Law Founders.”

“Both Representative Murphey and the Congressional Data Coalition have shown tremendous leadership in working to modernize government and in the free law space,” stated Supervisor Mark Farrell. “Both groups joining the FLF speak to the momentum building around the country around free law ideals and to the diversity of the group.”

Get to Know the New FLF Members

Representative Jason Murphey, Oklahoma State Legislature, District 31

Oklahoma State Representative Jason Murphey has repeatedly championed the cause of using technology to open up the government to the people. In 2001, as a member of his local city council, he sponsored resolutions to place government proceedings on television and the Internet and to make the city code available online for all to read.

Since 2006, as a state legislator, he has sponsored successful legislation to open up access to government spending and performance data, created the data.ok.gov and documents.ok.gov web portals and removed statutory barriers to government agency use of social media.

In 2014, Murphey was designated as one of Government Technology magazine’s top 25 Doers, Dreamers and Drivers. Government Technology also named Murphey as one of the nation’s 13 most tech-savvy legislators.

The Congressional Data Coalition

The Congressional Data Coalition (CDC) is comprised of citizens, public interest groups, trade associations, and businesses that champion greater governmental transparency through improved public access to and long-term preservation of congressional information.

Members of the CDC include CREW, R Street Institute, Electronic Frontier Foundation, Sunlight Foundation, Engine Advocacy, Competitive Enterprise Institute, TechFreedom, GovTrack.us, Capitol Bells, WashingtonWatch.com, LegisWorks, LegCyte, Free Government Information, Fastcase, The Open Gov Foundation, OpenTheGovernment.org and Participatory Politics Foundation.

Daniel Schuman is Chairman of the CDC and Policy Director at Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington.

About the Free Law Founders

Citizens, technologists and public officials working together to transform state & local lawmaking for the 21st Century. The Free Law Founders is a nation-wide, collaborative effort open to all people who want to improve how laws and legislation are produced and presented to citizens of American states and cities. Our goal is to modernize how democracy works in the United States from the ground up. To get there, we’re creating open source tools and open data formats government workers need to get their jobs done efficiently, effectively and accountably.


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