Open Government PlanAs Treasury continues to build a new foundation for our economy through the implementation of financial and economic recovery policies, Treasury remains committed to creating a new foundation of transparency and openness in government practice to promote accountability and provide citizens with unprecedented access to information. Treasury's goal is to serve the American public and the Treasury community by setting the standard for the protection, access, and disclosure of Treasury's information assets.Treasury has embarked on a path to improve transparency, participation, and collaboration in our on-going operations, to ensure we fulfill the vital mission of Treasury to maintain a strong economy, create economic and job opportunities by promoting conditions that enable economic growth and stability at home and abroad, strengthen national security by combating threats and protecting the integrity of the financial system, and manage the U.S. Government's finances and resources effectively - while serving the American public and the Treasury community by setting the standard for the protection, access, and disclosure of Treasury's information assets.Department of the TreasuryTreasury_7686c6d2-540c-11df-b10e-6a887a64ea2aDaniel TangherliniAssistant Secretary for Management, Chief Financial Officer, and Chief Performance Officer_7686c9a2-540c-11df-b10e-6a887a64ea2a_7686cb78-540c-11df-b10e-6a887a64ea2aTransparencyPromote accountability by providing the public with access to information on Government operations and activities.ParticipationInvite members of the public to contribute and influence Government policies and functions, so Government can more readily represent the voice of the people.CollaborationEncourages cooperation between agencies, across levels of Government, and between the public and private sectors.FormulationFormulating the Treasury Open Government Plan_7686cc36-540c-11df-b10e-6a887a64ea2a1Overview of the Open Government InitiativeEmbrace the three pillars of the Open Government Initiative to further the Department’s mission, vision, values, and goals_7686ccea-540c-11df-b10e-6a887a64ea2a1.1The Administration’s commitment to an unprecedented level of openness in Government establishes a system of transparency, public participation, and collaboration. Treasury embraces these three pillars of the Open Government Initiative as furthering the Department’s mission, vision, values, and goals. Treasury continuously strives to maintain the public trust and confidence and, in this vein, welcomes this and acknowledges that: * Transparency promotes accountability by providing the public with access to information on Government operations and activities. * Participation invites members of the public to contribute and influence Government policies and functions, so Government can more readily represent the voice of the people. * Collaboration encourages cooperation between agencies, across levels of Government, and between the public and private sectors.MethodologyApproach Open Government as an integral component of the Department’s strategic methodology_7686cd9e-540c-11df-b10e-6a887a64ea2a1.2Treasury approaches Open Government as an integral component of the Department’s strategic methodology. In the spirit of E Pluribus Unum – out of many, one – the many Treasury Departmental Offices and bureaus operate in unity to serve the American people. Treasury prioritizes Open Government as a Department-wide effort. The team approach is an effective choice to address issues that span across multiple disciplines and organizational components. Whether a team is ad hoc, self-managed, or a network, it must have a process to follow to arrive at a solution. Continuous improvement efforts must start with careful planning, must result in effective action, and must move on again to careful planning in a continuous cycle. To create a sustainable infrastructure for implementing open government, Treasury is utilizing the Plan-Do-Study-Act (PDSA) methodology. The PDSA approach is an iterative process designed to identify cause and effect of situations through implementing on a small scale, refining the process based on the findings, then implementing the solution on a larger scale. If the first iteration is not successful, the team then goes back to the Plan stage to come up with some new ideas for solving the problem and goes through the cycle again. As Treasury implements various components of our open government plan and measures the results, we will determine what is effective and what is not, and where adjustments to the plan may be needed to continue progress towards our goal of truly open and transparent operations.Treasury Open Government FrameworkEngage the public and employees in Treasury’s periodic review and modification of this Plan_7686ce66-540c-11df-b10e-6a887a64ea2a1.3The PublicEmployeesExtensive public and employee engagement has taken place in the formulation of this Plan, which has led to the incorporation of relevant and useful ideas developed in the dialogue. Public engagement will be part of Treasury’s periodic review and modification of this Plan.Leadership and GovernanceLead Treasury toward a culture of Open Government_7686cf38-540c-11df-b10e-6a887a64ea2a2Assistant Secretary for Management and Chief Financial OfficerThe Assistant Secretary for Management and Chief Financial Officer has been designated Senior Accountable Official (SAO) for data quality. In accordance with the Open Government Directive, this official is accountable for the quality and objectivity of, and internal controls over, the Federal spending information publicly disseminated through such public venues as USAspending.gov or other similar websites. He has designated two key officials to help implement and build the infrastructure to sustain transparent and open operations.Deputy Chief Financial OfficerThe Deputy Chief Financial Officer has been designated the responsibility to develop and implement the framework for data quality. The official will participate in Treasury’s Senior Management Council, or similar governance structure, for the agency-wide internal control assessment pursuant to the Federal Managers’ Financial Integrity Act.Deputy Assistant Secretary for Privacy and Treasury RecordsThe Deputy Assistant Secretary for Privacy and Treasury Records has been designated the Senior Agency Official for implementing the Open Government Directive.Certain key officials serve to lead Treasury toward a culture of Open Government.Governance StructureDevelop a governance structure to develop the implementation plan, identify areas of opportunity, solicit and incorporate public feedback, and provide leadership across the Department to create a culture of openness and transparency in operations_7686d014-540c-11df-b10e-6a887a64ea2a2.1Treasury-Wide Steering CommitteeTo manage Treasury's shift toward transparency and openness throughout its operations, Treasury has developed a governance structure to develop the implementation plan, identify areas of opportunity, solicit and incorporate public feedback, and provide leadership across the Department to create a culture of openness and transparency in operations. An Open Government Steering Committee has been convened with representatives from each of Treasury's bureaus to develop the guidance and provide leadership on these activities across the Department. Additional members of the committee include representatives from the offices of Public Affairs, General Counsel, Inspectors General, Management and Budget, Privacy and Records, Deputy Chief Financial Officer, Chief Information Officer, Procurement Executive, and Human Resources. In addition, the steering committee will develop the reporting framework to ensure accountability to the Department and the public. The Senior Agency Official for implementing the Open Government Directive chairs the steering committee. The high level milestones for implementing the Directive are identified in the tracking matrix in Appendix B.SubcommitteesForm subcommittees to oversee specific lines of activities for the Department_7686d168-540c-11df-b10e-6a887a64ea2a2.2Communications SubcommiteeDevelop a Treasury-wide strategy and network for both disseminating and receiving key information pertaining to Treasury’s implementation of the Open Government Directive activities; elicit innovative ideas for promoting openness and transparency; provide metrics on progress.Open Government Website SubcommitteeDevelop and implement Treasury’s open government website; formalize processes for accepting input, providing data review, and approving website content; identify needed functionality to enable collaboration and participation.Open Government Plan SubcommitteeDevelop the framework for the structure and content of Treasury’s Open Government Plan to describe how the agency will foster a culture of openness, incorporating the principles of transparency, participation, and collaboration into all facets of the Department's operations.Data and Information Identification, Integrity, and Partnerships SubcommitteeIdentify current datasets and information to make available to the public, and possibilities for partnerships with other agencies to provide and/or create complementary datasets to help drive economic change. Implement an effective internal control and review process of information and datasets to be made public to ensure the accuracy, timeliness, and usefulness of this data, including proper review for privacy and disclosure compliance before release.Policy Issues SubcommitteeIdentify current policies impacted and in need of revision, as well as new policies needed, to support and enable transparency, collaboration, and participation activities in support of the Open Government Directive.Culture Initiative: Challenges and Solutions SubcommitteeEstablish and maintain a long-term initiative to promote the principles of open government in Treasury’s workplace culture. Through outreach, education, and engagement, we will strive to insure that all employees through all levels of Treasury’s operations incorporate transparency, accountability, public participation, and collaboration into their daily activities at the Department.Six subcommittees have been formed to oversee specific lines of activities for the Department.Alignment with the Treasury Strategic Plan and Core Mission AreasAligns our open government strategy with those of the agency’s strategic plan, particularly with respect to Treasury’s strategic goal of management and organizational excellence._7686d276-540c-11df-b10e-6a887a64ea2a3Treasury aligns its open government strategy with those of the agency’s strategic plan, particularly with respect to Treasury’s strategic goal of management and organizational excellence. Treasury demonstrates its thorough commitment to open government by tying the goals of transparency, participation, and collaboration to the mission and strategic goals of the Department.Open Government Strategic Goals and OutcomesOutline intended outcomes for each of the three pillars of Open Government_7686d3ac-540c-11df-b10e-6a887a64ea2a3.1Transparency Outcomes: * Information Dissemination: Paperwork Reduction Act compliance * Inventory of High-Value Datasets * Plan for Future Publication of High-Value Datasets * Compliance with Data.gov, eRulemaking, IT Dashboard, Recovery.gov, USAspending.gov * Plan of Action and Milestones to Inform Public of Significant Agency Business * Records Management Requirements * Website for Staffing, Organizational Structure, FOIA Requests, Congressional Requests * Website for Declassification Program Participation Outcomes: * Descriptions and links to Websites for Public Participation * Feedback Tools and Practices for Public Engagement Collaboration Outcomes: * Technology to Improve Collaboration Within and Outside Agency * Descriptions and Links to Collaboration Efforts * Programs to Increase CollaborationOpportunities to Participate in Existing Treasury EffortsIncorporate the strategic goals and outcomes of its Open Government Plan into the existing Strategic Plan Framework._7686d4f6-540c-11df-b10e-6a887a64ea2a3.2Treasury seeks to incorporate the strategic goals and outcomes of its Open Government Plan into the existing Strategic Plan Framework. In this way, existing measures of strategic goals can be used to assess the effectiveness of open government objectives. The performance measures framework for open government initiatives is aligned with the agency’s overall performance framework, enabling specific open government activities to be assessed. As Treasury moves forward with the next strategic plan update process, Open Government questions will be included in the senior leadership interview process to ensure the Department's open government activities are aligned with the Department's overall strategic objectives.Open Government Performance MeasuresEvaluate the effectiveness of the policies and practices developed pursuant to the Open Government Directive on a regular basis_7686d640-540c-11df-b10e-6a887a64ea2a4Additional specific measures for a given open government initiative may focus on volume of participation and improvements in program results as an outcome of the initiative (e.g., improved timeliness, quality, cost of an agency service, and other related outcomes.). Aggregate measures also can be identified. Treasury commits to evaluate the effectiveness of the policies and practices developed pursuant to the Open Government Directive on a regular basis. Below are specific measures already underway at Treasury: * Require reports on the number of data sets released per quarter * Identify stakeholder outreach efforts * Calculate reduction in FOIA requests * Identify cost savings resulting from open government initiatives Treasury has increased the amount of information publicly available to track activities in support of the economic recovery effort resulting in multiple opportunities for the proactive disclosure of information of high interest to the public, for example, on the www.financialstability.gov www.financialstability.gov website. Since the issuance of OMB (M-10-06) guidance in December 2009, Treasury's Office of Financial Stability has posted the Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP) Transaction report to the website in both PDF and XLSX formats to support the requirement for data open formats. TIGTA has obviated the need for the public to request sensitive but unclassified audit reports by proactively decontrolling and publishing these reports on their website in a timely manner. The BEP proactively posts monthly and annual production figures including notes series, serial numbers, and quantities for each currency denomination._7686d79e-540c-11df-b10e-6a887a64ea2aChallenges and Strategies_7686d906-540c-11df-b10e-6a887a64ea2a5Critical Technology, Policy, and Culture HurdlesIdentify challenges in order to identify solutions to move forward with our open government objectives_7686da78-540c-11df-b10e-6a887a64ea2a5.1With every opportunity comes challenges, and Treasury is identifying these challenges in order to identify solutions to move forward with our open government objectives. One of the key hurdles involves policy and practices regarding the use of the various social media tools available. The government has a responsibility to ensure that information regarding the public we serve is properly protected from inappropriate disclosure, including unintended breach of sensitive information. This is a critical component to provide services to the American public and the Treasury community and maintain the trust of the public we serve. Treasury's mission involves several areas that intersect with national security issues, and as such must ensure that the information and data released to the public does not create unnecessary risk to our nation's security, while supporting the release of as much information as possible. The Open Government Directive requires that more information and data be published on websites and social media technologies. For more transparency, participation, and collaboration, the Section 508 policy will require revision. Bureaus and offices must ensure that members of the public with disabilities have access and use of our information and data or provide alternative means. A new supplemental Accessibility Chapter in the Treasury Information Technology Manual has been drafted. The Information Quality procedures chapter of the Treasury Information Technology Manual (http://www.treas.gov/offices/cio/information-management/infoqual.shtml) has been revised and is being prepared for final comments. A new policy on the use of social media and technologies has also been developed. The new policy and guidance document on the Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA) information collection program was prepared for comments prior to the Open Government Directive. Final changes are being made to both documents to encourage bureaus and offices to leverage social media technologies to obtain public comments for renewals and new information collections. While the Federal Register Notice (FRN) process is statutory, we believe the public will be more engaged in the process through new technological advances.Meeting Transparency GoalsBalanced the goal of transparent operations with ensuring the appropriate protection of information covered by the Privacy Act, personally identifiable information (PII), and other sensitive information whose release would present national security concerns_7686dbe0-540c-11df-b10e-6a887a64ea2a5.2The goal of transparent operations at Treasury must be balanced with ensuring the appropriate protection of information covered by the Privacy Act, personally identifiable information (PII), and other sensitive information whose release would present national security concerns. Every effort is being made to review FOIA requests and prepare proactive disclosures with this balance in mind.Federal IT DashboardUse the OMB’s IT Dashboard in which the public can track the progress of investments_7686dd52-540c-11df-b10e-6a887a64ea2a5.3A major transparency goal for the Department is the use of the OMB’s IT Dashboard in which the public can track the progress of investments. The Dashboard (http://it.usaspending.gov/), a public facing website, to gauge the health of its portfolio. Each month, the Office of the Chief Information Officer evaluates the Department’s 59 major investments on cost and schedule performance metrics. Overall, the Department portfolio performance is positive, and only a few investments require executive management attention. eRulemakingParticipate in the eRulemaking initiative_7686dece-540c-11df-b10e-6a887a64ea2a5.4The Department was an early participant in the eRulemaking initiative, Regulations.Gov and has numerous propose and final rules, notices, and other materials posted for the public to comment. The Department use the Federal Register to publish notices on its rulemaking activities and post its propose and final rules and other notices to Regulations.Gov, the Federal e-Rulemaking Portal. The comment can review, read and comment on all the Department’s posting on the Portal.Grants.GovAnnounce grants through the Department of Health and Human Services Grant.Gov initiative_7686e04a-540c-11df-b10e-6a887a64ea2a5.5Community Development Financial Institutions Fund (CDFIF)The Community Development Financial Institutions Fund (CDFIF) is the Department’s grant-issuing entity. CDFIF mission is to provide grant resources to underserved communities to stimulate economic growth and to create jobs. Grants are also extended for Native American assistance. CDFIF announces grants through the Department of Health and Human Services Grant.Gov initiative.Underserved CommunitiesNative AmericansDepartment of Health and Human Services (HHS)Privacy and Security ConsiderationsDevelop a plan for ensuring that security, privacy, and confidentiality risks are identified and mitigation strategies developed._7686e1d0-540c-11df-b10e-6a887a64ea2a5.6Treasury is currently utilizing IdeaScale on our Open Government website for public engagement and feedback, and we will continue to utilize this type of tool for on-going public input. For programs and activities that require detailed feedback, we will utilize additional forms of engagement, including facilitated discussions with key stakeholder groups, panel discussions, and interactive forums. Regardless of the method or technology used, Treasury will develop a plan for ensuring that security, privacy, and confidentiality risks are identified and mitigation strategies developed. Part of the strategy for each method will include how Treasury will provide feedback to the public regarding how the input is evaluated and/or incorporated into Treasury operations. The efficacy of the various methods for engagement will also be measured.FOIA RequestsEnsure that FOIA activities are fully integrated into the Department's Open Government Plan and implementation efforts._7686e360-540c-11df-b10e-6a887a64ea2a6The Department of the Treasury is committed to open and transparent government, to ensure so that the American public has access to as much information as possible while ensuring the protection of personal privacy, as well as confidential, privileged, or proprietary information. We are ensuring that FOIA activities are fully integrated into the Department's Open Government Plan and implementation efforts. We are committed to continuing process improvements to eliminate the backlog of FOIA requests. Since FY06 we have reduced our FOIA backlog by over 71% (see Table 1). The Department is completing a Lean Six Sigma review of our entire FOIA process from end to end to identify how we can continue to improve our response time for FOIA processing. Treasury’s high-level commitment to ensuring that the President’s directive regarding the presumption of disclosure is applied to all decisions involving the FOIA, including the increased proactive disclosures and discretionary releases within the legal responsibility to protect national security, personal privacy, privileged records, and other protected interests. Concrete steps to reduce backlogs and improve timeliness in responding to requests include: •Conducting a systemic review of the entire FOIA process within the agency to identify roadblocks and to improve timeliness. •Analyzing the workload involved in responding to FOIA requests and determining the appropriate resource levels and then ensuring that those resources are allocated. •Setting up regular meetings between FOIA professionals and Treasury’s Chief FOIA Officer to ensure an established dialogue between those officials, so that the Chief FOIA Officer can troubleshoot problems and facilitate timely responses. In addition to FOIA personnel, Treasury relies on a broad range of senior-level agency personnel, including Congressional Affairs, Public Affairs, legal and policy staff, and relevant subject-matter experts, to identify material for proactive release. Treasury is committed to cooperate with the new Office of Government Information Services’ FOIA mediation efforts.Process Improvements[Conduct] an end-to-end review of how the FOIA process is implemented at the Department._7686e68a-540c-11df-b10e-6a887a64ea2a6.1Treasury has begun an end-to-end review of how the FOIA process is implemented at the Department beginning with requests received for processing by Departmental Offices, and utilizing the Lean Six Sigma methodology, to enable the prompt processing and response to Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), increase proactive disclosure of information, eliminate the FOIA requests backlog, and ensure sensitive or complex FOIA requests are processed properly. The desired outcome is disclosure of Treasury information more efficiently, accurately, and rapidly to the American public to promote public trust and government accountability through increased openness and transparency. The review process will help to identify opportunities to eliminate redundancies, identify process gaps, and identify technology solutions that merit further research. This review is undertaken to help determine the most effective course of action to meet Treasury’s FOIA and transparency goals, employing creative and efficient solutions to achieve success within resource realities.Electronic Citizen DeliveryImprove the electronic delivery of service to the public_7686e824-540c-11df-b10e-6a887a64ea2a6.2key areas of the FOIA process are under review with the intent of improving the electronic delivery of service to the public. The process is being formulated and tested to implement the option for citizens to submit FOIA requests to Departmental Offices on-line in addition to continuing the option of submitting FOIA requests in hard copy. The second improvement involves the electronic reading room, or repository of previously released information, including frequently requested items. Cloud technologies are being looked at to provide greater search capability across the Department's FOIA reading rooms and the incorporation of public feedback mechanisms. Data Quality and TransparencyAddress the quality of both financial and non-financial data to be made available to the public._7686ea04-540c-11df-b10e-6a887a64ea2a7Strategic Action Plan for Data Quality and Transparency of the Treasury Data Inventory: Introduction - The Office of Management and Budget’s Open Government Directive, Framework for the Quality of Federal Spending Information M-10-06, issued on December 8, 2009, instructs executive departments and agencies to take specific actions to implement the principles of transparency, participation, and collaboration. The Directive requires agencies to address the quality of Federal spending information; however, Treasury’s plan will address the quality of both financial and non-financial data to be made available to the public.Data QualityComply with OMB guidance on data quality_7686ef2c-540c-11df-b10e-6a887a64ea2a7.1OMB Guidance on a Framework for the Quality of Federal Spending Information Publicly Disseminated through Public Venues, e.g., USAspending.gov or Other Similar Websites - As required by OMB, Treasury will submit the first cut of its Open Government Data Quality Plan in April 2010. This document will describe the current processes used within Treasury to ensure the data quality of the information posted online, with an emphasis on the contracts and grants data on USASpending.gov. The Data Quality Plan will also lay out the actions Treasury plans to take to improve the quality of Treasury data released to the public. OMB Guidance on a Longer-Term Strategy for Federal Spending Transparency (pending) - Treasury will follow this guidance, when issued by OMB, to report quarterly on its progress toward improving its information quality. Maintaining Integrity and Reliability of Data Inventory A robust framework is being developed to ensure datasets are evaluated and verified for usefulness, accuracy, and completeness. Retention and archiving of the data will also be addressed. Other Data ActivitiesImplement a permanent process for continuous, proactive identification, preparation, and release of data on an ongoing basis._7686f0e4-540c-11df-b10e-6a887a64ea2a7.2Ongoing Data Prioritization and Release Process Truly New, High‐Value Datasets and Information Holdings - Treasury is committed to implementing a permanent process for continuous, proactive identification, preparation, and release of data on an ongoing basis -- a pipeline which is explicitly incorporated into the strategic planning, IT planning, and budget formulation processes of the agency. Treasury continues to develop a data release process that clearly outlines how security, privacy, quality, and confidentiality risks will be managed before release. The data prioritization process will describe the criteria used to determine if data is prioritized for release. Criteria may include value of the data with respect to a number of specific dimensions, FOIA requests for data, public interest in the data, resources required to release the data, timeliness of the data, and other similar factors. The process also may provide for a mechanism for agency employees to suggest high-value data sets for release. Truly New, High-Value Datasets and Information Holdings High value information is information that can be used to increase agency accountability and responsiveness; improve public knowledge of the agency and its operations; further the core mission of the agency; create economic opportunity; or respond to need and demand as identified through public consultation. Where Treasury provides public information maintained in electronic format, Treasury will develop a plan for timely publication of the underlying data. This underlying data will be in an open format and as granular as possible, consistent with statutory responsibilities and subject to valid privacy, confidentiality, security, or other restrictions. Treasury will identify key audiences for its information and their needs, and endeavor to publish high-value information for each of those audiences in the most accessible forms and formats. As part of a commitment to increase transparency in government and maintain accountability of taxpayer dollars, Treasury compiled and made available three new datasets on Data.gov on December 9, 2009, over a month ahead of the January 22, 2010 deadline established in the Open Government Directive. The information released included new data on tax returns, more user friendly information on transactions under the Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP), and a new report on bank trading and derivatives. Treasury's open government effort includes making publicly available the following sets of information and reports: * New Data on Tax Returns. For the first time, Treasury has released Internal Revenue Service (IRS) Statistics of Migration Data. This data set shows migration patterns of tax filers moving across country and state lines. This free information will be of use to local officials, real estate developers, business planners, and researchers. * New Format for TARP Transaction Report. Treasury's Office of Financial Stability releases a TARP Transaction Report for every new TARP transaction including investments made and funds repaid. In an effort to make the reports more user-friendly, they will now be available in XML format for easy sorting of data. * Quarterly Report on Bank Trading and Derivatives. This report, made available by the Office of the Comptroller of Currency, provides information on the federal government's supervision of banks as well as the investment activities of financial institutions. As of the publication date of this Plan, Treasury has posted 84 datasets on Data.gov (see Appendix B) and many additional datasets on the various Treasury related websites, such as www.treasurydirect.gov/govt/reports/reports.htm (Bureau of Public Debt), www.fincen.gov/news_room/rp/index.html (FinCEN), www.ots.treas.gov/?p=PublicationsData (Office of Thrift Supervision), and www.occ.gov/pubs1.htm (Comptroller of the Currency). We have also provided these links directly from the www.treas.gov/open website under "Records and Reports", in direct response to feedback received from our OPEN@do.treas.gov e-mail box.Public Feedback, Participation, and CollaborationEnhance the role of public feedback, participation, and collaboration in key mission areas._7686f2a6-540c-11df-b10e-6a887a64ea2a8The PublicPublic Participation ToolEnhance usability and customer interaction through Treasury's open government website._7686f472-540c-11df-b10e-6a887a64ea2a8.1Treasury's open government website continues to evolve, and various improvements are underway to enhance usability and customer interaction, including: * Access - comply with Section 508 and ADA standards, especially with respect to improving access for those with vision impairments. (see http://www.section508.gov and http://www.ada.gov ) * Search engine functionality – developing or working within the framework of the federal metadata standard, if available, to promote effective searching and tracking of authorship. (see GPO’s metatdata standards at : http://www.gpo.gov/ppt/DLC2008FallTechnical.ppt?bcsi_scan_9AA99EB32CAE9A8A=0&bcsi_scan_filename=DLC2008FallTechnical.ppt ) * Navigability/ “Look – continuously assess and improve the “look and Feel” (e.g., see BPD’s feel” of the website) to maintain ease of use. * Privacy concerns - One corollary to expanding the release of Government information is to ensure that information protected under the Privacy Act remains safeguarded. Managing privacy concerns involves monitoring the collection of personally identifiable information (PII), notifying the public through disclaimers and privacy statements, and examining tracking technologies. Areas requiring review include third-party linking, policy compliance, visitor tracking, and data collection. Citizen Feedback - The feedback received from the public during the development period of our open government plan was reviewed and assessed for incorporation into this plan. Many of the ideas, though not directly related to the development of our open government plan, were related to various programs within Treasury's operations and have been forwarded to the appropriate program areas for discussion. Some of the comments were able to be incorporated into our standard operating procedures for evaluating ideas and information to determine if they support one of the core open government principles, for example James wrote that agencies should ask themselves the following questions when considering new practices or identifying information, including: * If this proposal were accepted, would it be likely that government would be more open and accessible? * Does this request represent a request for data, improved quality data, government accountability, or is it a petition, suggestion for improvement, a collaboration, or a new way of doing business? Drew states "I think it would also be useful for Treasury to publish the following data (historical and current) on its Web site: 1) rates of exchange (could also include links to the following sites):FRB: http://www.federalreserve.gov/RELEASES/H10/Hist/Interet Archive: http://www.archive.org/details/treasuryreportin19943unit, 2) public debt information (foreign-owned included) and M0, M1, M2... money supply information, and 3) ready access to other data included in the Treasury Bulletinhttp://www.fms.treas.gov/bulletin/index.html. As stated under "Strategic Action Plan for Data Quality and Transparency of the Treasury Data Inventory", we have provided some of these links directly from Treasury's open government website.Other Sources of Public InputUtilize creative methods to determine the areas of most interest to the public at a given time,_7686f648-540c-11df-b10e-6a887a64ea2a8.2The PublicOn-line interaction is only one avenue to elicit stakeholder feedback and input. As discussed in section "Excellence in Processing FOIA Requests", the Department is utilizing creative methods to determine the areas of most interest to the public at a given time, including engagement with our most frequent requesters to determine categories of information most appropriate for proactive disclosure, reviewing the public reference requests received by the Treasury Library, most frequent comments and requests from the public to the Executive Secretary's office, and the most frequent inquiries made by the public of the Treasury telephone operators, who are often the first contact the public has with Treasury personnel. An example of using this type of public feedback is the addition of the "Most Requested Data" section on our open gov website (see screenshot to left), the contents of which are determined by reviewing this public feedback. Treasury is also planning a series of open work sessions with various stakeholder segments and the public to share information with the public and hear directly from the public regarding their concerns and areas of interest. These sessions are also being designed to provide the opportunity for public-government engagement by breaking into smaller workgroups to brainstorm ideas and solutions to address specific issues as presented to the groups. Treasury will respond to public input received from the web page on a regular basis. Treasury also will publish its annual FOIA Report in an open format on its Open Government webpage in addition to any other planned dissemination methods. External and Internal CollaborationEnhance external and internal collaboration with innovative methods_7686f850-540c-11df-b10e-6a887a64ea2a9Cross‐Agency TransferabilityManifest cross-agency transferability by making training available to other agencies and naming an advocate who gets the word out about what the agency has to share, _7686fa3a-540c-11df-b10e-6a887a64ea2a9.1In the areas of transparency, participation, collaboration, and flagship initiative, Treasury strives to share its efforts across Government to avoid duplication across agencies and to improve value/outcome of efforts. Treasury seeks to manifest cross-agency transferability in at least two of the following ways: * Make training available to other agencies by opening up classes/webcasts to other agencies; providing slides, video and/or audio after the training; and posting on an e-learning platform. * Name an advocate who gets the word out about what the agency has to share and invites other agencies to contact that person to learn from him or her. * Design procurements for enterprise (where government is the enterprise) or in such a way that what is created can be shared across government at no cost. * Develop and post code so it can be shared with other agencies (open source or the contract written such that the government owns the code.) * Share platforms utilized by the agency with other agencies at no cost. •Create participatory events across agencies with related missions. * Collaborate on projects and challenges with the public and with the private sector in partnership with other federal agencies that have similar missions. * Share all materials, results, tools, and training that could be transferable to other agencies with the Interagency Working Group as an efficient central dissemination mechanism.Interagency Collaboration OpportunitiesParticipate on interagency work groups to look at how the various datasets and information provided by each agency can be leveraged to help provide greater benefits to the public._7686fc1a-540c-11df-b10e-6a887a64ea2a9.2The PublicJobs Creation Working GroupTreasury participates on an interagency working group on job creation that is chaired by the Department of Commerce. This working group will be specifically focused on data and resources across government whose release and/or use could lead to the creation of jobs. The work group states its purpose statement as: “In order to promote job creation throughout the economy, the agencies of the open government job creation working group are committed to greater transparency of government information, additional interagency /public-private collaboration and robust participation by the public. These core principles of the Open Government Directive can, should, and must be focused across the federal government on encouraging economic recovery and job growth.”Leading PracticesTreasury continues to be an active participant on this interagency work group that has developed the first iteration of leading practices by which agencies' Open Government Plans will be evaluated. Multiple open government advocacy groups have been actively engaged in this process by providing interactive feedback to the work group. As agencies' efforts to conduct operations in a more open manner continue, Treasury will continue to participate with the work group to further evolve these leading practices to incorporate more ambitious stretch goals.eFOIA GroupThis group is in the early formation stage, with the objective to ensure FOIA requirements are met, and determine how FOIA can support Open Government activities. Treasury representatives from the Office of Disclosure Services, Office of Privacy and Treasury Records, will participate on this group.Interagency Aid Transparency Work GroupTreasury representatives from the Office of International Affairs actively participate on this work group whose goal is to provide greater aid transparency to advance global development by assisting governments to better manage their flows and empowering citizens to hold governments accountable. These efforts will increase the efficacy of USG investments, by providing a clearer understanding of what we are doing, where, and to what effect. Finally, it will set a new standard by which donors around the globe can be held accountable. Security/Privacy Working GroupAn interagency working group was formed and continues work to address security and privacy concerns regarding data identification and release. Representatives from Treasury's Office of Privacy and Treasury Records participate on in this work group which is looking at the following areas: * Security working group: Treasury's mission involves several areas that intersect with national security issues, and as such must ensure that the information and data released to the public does not create unnecessary risk to our nation's security, while supporting the release of as much information as possible. Security considerations are embedded in the framework for data quality review for the Department. *Privacy working group: Privacy representatives from across the Department remain actively engaged in privacy policies and implementation to ensure that information being published by the Department does not create privacy issues or risk once released.Treasury is actively participating on several interagency work groups already to look at how the various datasets and information provided by each agency can be leveraged to help provide greater benefits to the public in key areas, such as jobs creation. These work groups represent only the beginning of the opportunities to be pursued as these efforts continue. With the objective of collaborating with other agencies in the advancement of Open Government, Treasury plans to: * Actively participate and collaborate in interagency workgroups on Open Government * Initiate leadership in sharing Treasury's "OPEN" portal (if any or available) with other agencies * Sharing materials, results, tools, and training that could be transferable to other agencies with the government-wide Open Government Steering Committee * Spearheading an “Open Money” (formulation of this committee if possible to boost Treasury's open government objectives) interagency group on how agencies can coordinate or integrate complementary financial data that affects stakeholder bottom line for public release * Naming a Treasury advocate for Open Government who can get the word out about what Treasury is doing on Open Government and is available to talk with other agencies about what Treasury has learned.Use of Innovative TechnologyIdentify and plan for the use of new technologies as opportunities arise for alignment with mission objectives and open government activities._7686fe04-540c-11df-b10e-6a887a64ea2a9.3Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN)Technology Solutions and Services Division (TSSD)Treasury Chief Information OfficerWhite House Council on Women and GirlsThe Department is actively engaged in identifying and planning for the use of new technologies as opportunities arise for alignment with mission objectives and open government activities. An example of the use of new technology includes the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network’s (FinCEN) Technology Solutions and Services Division (TSSD), which recently completed an evaluation, pilot, and subsequent acquisition of a webinar service. Webinars present a time-efficient and cost-effective way to facilitate online communication between a small number of presenters and a remote audience of up to 1,000 participants. Two of the technology’s key capabilities are presentations and training sessions. Presenters display information on their computer screen, which then becomes visible to all participants. The webinar software enables interaction between the presenter and the audience and allows the presenter to control the participants’ verbal commentary either via the keyboard or audio connection. Audio connectivity is available via landline telephone conferencing or via Internet phone connectivity. In order to support this new service, TSSD has appointed a webinar coordinator within FinCEN to work with employees requesting a webinar. FinCEN has already begun conducting webinars, and will continue to seek innovative ways to use this technology. FinCEN officials have conducted webinars for training remote law enforcement users on the use of WebCBRS, the online system through which law enforcement accesses Bank Secrecy Act data. TSSD staff are currently working with FinCEN’s Office of Training to develop webinar-based training. The Department currently has seven Terms of Service Agreements approved by the Treasury Chief Information Officer. During the height of the 2009 American Recovery and Reinvestment Act activities, the Internal Revenue Service implemented (http://www.youtube.com/user/irsvideos) to provide the public current information on tax credits. The site is available in American Sign Language and Spanish. The Treas.Gov site has Twitter, YouTube, and Flickr capabilities. The Department is exploring increase use of webcasts, web conferencing and meetings, and redesigning our current Home Page for the public and employees. An example of the use of these technologies at the Department occurred on Monday, March 21, 2010. The Department partnered with the White House Council on Women and Girls to host a Women in Finance Symposium at the Department. Employees and a number of university students were able to watch the event via webcast which featured distinguished women in the financial arena. Internal Management and Administrative PoliciesChange to internal management and administrative policies to improve transparency, participation and collaboration._7686fff8-540c-11df-b10e-6a887a64ea2a10Employee Engagement/Culture InitiativeDevelop an infrastructure to stimulate and support employee execution of open government activities at all levels of the Department._768701f6-540c-11df-b10e-6a887a64ea2a10.1EmployeesTreasury can continue to develop an infrastructure to stimulate and support employee execution of open government activities at all levels of the Department. Detailed milestones need to be determined as to how the infrastructure will be developed. An employee engagement infrastructure will empower agency employees to execute actions that promote transparency, seek opportunities to increase citizen engagement, and collaborate with others across the government and outside the government. This infrastructure may include: •Incentives such as internal distinctions; •A central location for information that enables employees easily to find relevant open government information, such as policies, standards, tools, training, handbooks, and other similar guidelines. •Agency-provided training or commitment to enroll employees in training provided by others, such as Web Manager University and New Media Talks provided by GSA on open government-related subjects. Topics may include FACA, FOIA, Sunshine in Government Act, Federal Records Act, and other relevant laws or regulations. •Demonstrated commitment to open government by executives, including a communication plan for the open government message to be consistently communicated from top leadership. •Launch, to the extent practicable, the OMB guidance on the use of prizes to promote Open Government. It is important to recognize that this is a long-term endeavor and requires commitment by the Department to be successful. It also involves informing and educating employees across the Department about the open government initiative and the Department's activities supporting the initiative. Sustainable change that incorporates open government principles into all aspects of the culture at Treasury requires the support of senior level managers and leaders across the Department. Treasury's bureaus have various mission goals and operating needs that require the use of a variety of communication methods to ensure all employees stay informed and engaged in open government activities. It is important to find champions of change within each bureau to continue to assess the specific needs of each part of the organization regarding communications and engagement. As discussed under "Alignment with the Treasury Strategic Plan and Core Mission Areas", Treasury is finishing the development of a training module entitled "Transparency and Open Government Awareness" which will be available to all employees to give them an overview of the open government principles reflected in the President’s memoranda on transparency and open government and FOIA, and how these concepts affect their daily work activities. We will also roll out this Open Government Plan to all employees in a series of bureau meetings, brown bag sessions, workshops, and other activities. On-going communications will be needed to ensure the open government principles continue to be a part of each employee's every day activities, and will utilize a variety of methods to reach all employees, including memorandum, brochures, global e-mails, training sessions, to name a few. More robust use of technology will also assist with getting and keeping employees across Treasury engaged in these efforts, such as the on-line discussion tool on the Treasury portal, webcasts, and others. Treasury Specific Open Government InitiativesIdentify and incorporate additional opportunities to increase transparent and open operations [using] feedback and input from the public to help determine the most high-value options and desired services._768703f4-540c-11df-b10e-6a887a64ea2a11The PublicAs Treasury moves forward with implementing a robust open government framework, additional opportunities to increase transparent and open operations will be identified, incorporating and feedback and input from the public will be incorporated to help determine the most high-value options and desired services._768705fc-540c-11df-b10e-6a887a64ea2aFlagship Initiative_76870804-540c-11df-b10e-6a887a64ea2a12Paperless TreasuryImprove the public's experience interacting with Treasury while effecting operational efficiencies of several key Treasury activities._76870a0c-540c-11df-b10e-6a887a64ea2a12.1The PublicTreasury's flagship initiative, Moving to a Paperless Treasury, is designed to improve the public's experience interacting with Treasury while effecting operational efficiencies of several key Treasury activities. These activities range from disbursement and collection of select federal government payments and receipts, to improving electronic tax return filing capabilities. The desired outcome of paperless disbursement and collection activities are cost savings/avoidance for the government and improved flexibility and response to customers. Our flagship initiative also looks inward at Treasury's administrative processes in order to reduce our dependence on paper, while exploring how we can use technology to transition to more electronic means of communications and operations. Planned activities include enabling electronic submission of FOIA requests for improved submitter experience, and more streamlined internal processes in other operational areas to improve performance time and effect cost efficiencies. This initiative supports Treasury's goal of management and organizational excellence, with expected outcomes to provide an improved citizen-centered experience, while promoting accountability and transparency. The results of successful implementation of this initiative, specifically in regards to improvements in administrative processes, are expected to be transferrable to other agencies to help them gain greater operational efficiencies. For each activity identified under this initiative, key stakeholders are being identified to ensure appropriate engagement opportunities are offered and notice given well in advance of implementation. Key stakeholders identified to date include members of the public, Treasury employees, Congress, and the Office of Management and Budget. Where the open government activities directly impact the public, the performance measures will include customer satisfaction feedback. As much as possible, citizen engagement and collaboration tools will be utilized to allow for public discussion of the initiative.Public InformationPublicly Available Information for Existing Open Government Related Programs_76870c1e-540c-11df-b10e-6a887a64ea2a13Records Management ProgramLink to a publicly available website to show how Treasury is meeting its records management requirements. _76870e44-540c-11df-b10e-6a887a64ea2a13.1Treasury will link to a publicly available website to show how Treasury is meeting its existing records management requirements. These requirements serve as the foundation for the Department’s records management program, which includes such activities as identifying and scheduling all electronic records, and ensuring the timely transfer of all permanently valuable records to the National Archives. The Department plans to post all records schedules on its public website beginning with its electronic records schedules.Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) ProgramFocus on continuous process improvement, to move closer to achieving greater operational efficiency and improved customer service._7687106a-540c-11df-b10e-6a887a64ea2a13.2FOIA RequestersAs discussed in the section "Excellence in Processing FOIA Requests," Treasury will continue to focus on continuous process improvement, to move closer to achieving greater operational efficiency and improved customer service. We will elicit public feedback via our eFOIA website and reading room to identify additional opportunities to improve customer service, including assessment of Treasury’s capacity to analyze, coordinate, and respond to FOIA requests in a timely manner, together with proposed changes, technological resources, or reforms that Treasury determines are needed to strengthen its response processes; and discussions of how Treasury will reduce its pending backlog of outstanding FOIA requests by at least 10 percent each year, such as in our FOIA Improvement Plan located at http://www.treas.gov/foia/reading-room/index.html, and linked from our open government website. Providing prompt responses to FOIA requests keeps the public apprised of specific informational matters they seek.De‐Classification ProgramProvide a link to a publicly available webpage where the public can learn about Treasury’s declassification programs, learn how to access declassified materials, and provide input about what types of information should be prioritized for declassification._76871290-540c-11df-b10e-6a887a64ea2a13.3The PublicTreasury will provide a link to a publicly available webpage where the public can learn about Treasury’s declassification programs, learn how to access declassified materials, and provide input about what types of information should be prioritized for declassification, as appropriate. Declassification of government information that no longer needs protection, in accordance with established procedures, is essential to the free flow of information.Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA) Information CollectionProvide supporting documentation, the collection instrument, and a detailed explanation of why that information [to be collected] is critical to our mission requirements. _76871498-540c-11df-b10e-6a887a64ea2a13.4The PRA requires that at any time an agency collect information from 10 or more persons, the collection of that information must be approved by OMB. The information collection process requires the Department’s bureaus and offices to provide supporting documentation, the collection instrument, and a detailed explanation of why that information is critical to their mission requirements. The process is also aligned with an Executive Order, statute, or regulation and is included in the documentation. The request for information is published in the Federal Register for public comments for a 60-day and a 30-day comment period. The public comments are considered by the bureau and office when preparing the information collection package for OMB approval. Section 508Ensure that our employees and members of the public have equal access in the use of electronic and information technology._768716a0-540c-11df-b10e-6a887a64ea2a13.5The Department is committed to the provisions of Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act as well as the Americans with Disabilities Act. The Department is actively committed to ensuring that our employees and members of the public have equal access in the use of electronic and information technology. The OCIO launched an initiative to test the Department’s public websites for Section 508 and has set a minimum 90% accessibility metric for 2010. The OCIO plan to test intranet sites and applications will begin in the next few months. The OCIO partnered with the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) to extend its Blanket Purchase Agreement for accessibility documents to all bureaus and offices. The IRS has long incorporated Section 508 criteria in its system development life cycle methodology. Accessibility to the Department’s information and data by employees and the public contributes to the principles of the Open Government Directive.Public Notification for Proposed ActionsNotify the public on proposed actions to be taken, with clear milestones, in order to inform the public of significant actions and business of Treasury._768718e4-540c-11df-b10e-6a887a64ea2a13.6This Plan will be published online on Treasury’s Open Government Webpage in an open format that enables the public to download, analyze, and visualize any information and data in this Plan. Treasury will notify the public on proposed actions to be taken, with clear milestones, in order to inform the public of significant actions and business of Treasury, such as through agency public meetings, briefings, press conferences on the Internet, and periodic national town hall meetings.2010-04-072010-04-30http://www.treasury.gov/open/plan.shtmlOwenAmburOwen.Ambur@verizon.net