Often, the workings of the federal legislature appear to be "hiding in plain sight," obscured by arcane, cumbersome language and information systems. A new free resource, Open Congress, [2] not only makes official legislative info easier to find and follow - it also allows journalists and the public to pool their information and insights on federal legislation and legislators.

One especially nice feature: You can subscribe to an RSS feed for updates on any bill.

This is an ideal tool to highlight during Sunshine Week, [3] ASNE's campaign to get news organizations to highlight open government efforts, Mar. 11-17, 2007: Contact: 202-742-1520.

Open Congress is a joint project of the Participatory Politics Foundation and the Sunlight Foundation. [4]

The Mar. 9, 2007, episode of WNYC's On the Media featured an interview with Open Congress technology lead Micah Sifry, who can be reached through the Sunlight Foundation. Read transcript or listen online. [5]