Problem :: Process of writing legislation is opaque and difficult to track, with large bodies of text attributed to large numbers of people.

Process of writing legislation is opaque and difficult to track, with large bodies of text attributed to large numbers of people.

2,570 Views / Posted by Anonymous

Government Structure

When I read legislation, I frequently find myself wanting to understand the motivations behind the living document. I'd love to know who added what, and what paragraphs were highly edited (suggesting meticulous wording or outside intervention).

Supporters: Aaron Greenspan, David Arnold, Tristin Roney, David Sauter, Jonathan Wallis, Kelly Wooters, Lisa Matulevicz

Opponents: None

This issue has not been linked to a statute yet.

This issue has not been linked to any court cases yet.

This issue has not been linked to any news articles yet.

This issue has not been linked to any companies or organizations yet.

No comments have been added yet. Sign in to post a comment.

Solutions

Add a Solution

5		Increase accountability among legislators by tracking EVERY document change publicly, from draft to final, and tying each change to an individual who takes responsibility.
		Some legislative docs are already in standard XML format. These could be tracked with a version control system (VCS) like Git, and a custom XML "diff" driver (which the VCS uses to track meaningful changes in XML structure) could be implemented. Here's an example of a custom diff driver for diffing Word documents: http://www.cybersprocket.com/2010/project-management/sdlc/versions/versioning-word-documents-in-git/


Issues	Laws	Cases	Pro	Articles	Firms	Entities