Sunshine Fest 2025: Battling for Unwavering Transparency & Accountability in Washington, D.C.

In today’s climate, where access to information is often obstructed by bureaucratic red tape, Sunshine Fest 2025 serves as a vital platform for transparency advocates, journalists, legal experts, and public officials to discuss the future of open government. This event is part of Sunshine Week 2025, a nationwide initiative dedicated to promoting the public’s right to know.

📅 Dates: March 19-20, 2025
📍 Location: Washington, D.C.

March 19 Reception: Clyde’s of Gallery Place, 707 7th Street NW, Washington, DC 20001
March 20 Conference: Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg Center, 555 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20001
🔗 Event Details & Registration

I’m honored to speak at Sunshine Fest 2025, where I will discuss government transparency, the challenges facing public records advocates, and the growing barriers to accessing information. This includes the increasing use of “vexatious requester” labels to silence citizens, the lack of enforcement power within the Office of Open Records (OOR), and the bias that protects agencies rather than the public.

What is Sunshine Fest 2025?

Sunshine Fest 2025 is the flagship event of Sunshine Week, an annual celebration promoting open government and access to public records. The event brings together journalists, legal experts, policymakers, historians, librarians, and civil rights advocates to discuss transparency at the local, state, federal, and global levels.

The event marks 20 years of Sunshine Week, a movement that started to protect and strengthen the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) and Right-to-Know laws. Despite its success, transparency advocates are still fighting bureaucratic delays, baseless denials, and increasing legal restrictions on records requesters.

Sunshine Fest 2025 will feature:
✅ Expert panels discussing major transparency issues
✅ Workshops on improving access to government data
✅ Discussions on fighting new legal barriers to transparency
✅ Networking opportunities for those committed to open government

As a speaker, I will be addressing some of the biggest threats facing FOIA and RTK laws today, particularly in Pennsylvania, where state and local governments continue to block access to information without consequences.

The Office of Open Records (OOR): Transparency Watchdog or Government Gatekeeper?

One of the biggest issues I will cover at Sunshine Fest 2025 is the role of the Office of Open Records (OOR).

The OOR was established to help citizens access public records, but its lack of enforcement power has turned it into a roadblock rather than a safeguard for transparency.

Agencies Routinely:

❌ Ignore or delay public records requests with little to no consequence
❌ Misuse exemptions to deny access to public records
❌ Refuse to comply with OOR rulings, forcing requesters into lengthy legal battles

What’s even more concerning is the blatant bias toward government agencies. The OOR is funded by the very agencies it is supposed to regulate, making it difficult for it to remain truly impartial. If the system were working correctly, there would be clear penalties for agencies that refuse to comply with transparency laws.

At Sunshine Fest 2025, I will highlight the systematic failures of the OOR and advocate for real accountability measures to ensure agencies follow the law.

The "Vexatious Requester" Label: A Dangerous Threat to Public Access

One of the most dangerous trends in transparency law is the increasing use of the term “vexatious requester.”

This label is being pushed as an excuse to block individuals who file multiple public records requests, even when those requests are legitimate. Instead of acknowledging that many agencies routinely fail to provide information, governments are shifting the blame to the people requesting records.

Why is this a problem?

🚨 It discourages transparency. If agencies can dismiss requests as “vexatious,” they gain more power to hide information.
🚨 There is no clear legal definition. What qualifies as “too many requests”? The decision is often arbitrary.
🚨 It disproportionately affects journalists and watchdog groups. Transparency advocates rely on multiple requests to uncover patterns of fraud and misconduct.

At Sunshine Fest 2025, I will discuss how this tactic is being weaponized to shut down transparency efforts and what requesters can do to protect themselves from being labeled as “vexatious.”

Why Agencies Face No Consequences for Violating Transparency Laws

Government agencies regularly violate open records laws with no real consequences. Transparency laws are only as strong as their enforcement, yet in many cases, agencies that deny access to records face no penalties.

Key Problems Include:

❌ No enforcement power. If an agency refuses to release records, the burden falls on the requester to sue—at their own expense.
❌ Prolonged delays. Agencies use endless appeals and legal loopholes to delay the release of public records.
❌ Political influence. Agencies sometimes receive “favorable rulings” from courts or oversight bodies due to political connections.

At Sunshine Fest 2025, I will emphasize the urgent need for:

✅ Automatic fines for agencies that refuse to comply
✅ Shorter response deadlines and stricter penalties for delays
✅ Independent oversight bodies that are not controlled by government funding

If we don’t hold agencies accountable, they will continue to violate transparency laws without consequence.

How to Fight Back: Advocating for Real Transparency

Transparency advocates must push back against government overreach and demand stronger FOIA and RTK enforcement laws. Here are three key solutions:

1. Strengthen enforcement mechanisms

Agencies should face fines when they fail to comply with transparency laws.
The OOR must be restructured to operate independently from government influence.

2. Protect requesters from retaliation

End the use of the “vexatious requester” label as a tool to silence citizens.
Ensure that journalists, researchers, and watchdogs have legal protections when submitting records requests.

3. Increase public awareness

The more people understand their right to access public records, the harder it becomes for agencies to ignore requests.
Events like Sunshine Fest 2025 are essential for educating the public and pushing for stronger transparency laws.

If we don’t demand accountability now, government secrecy will continue to grow unchecked.

Final Thoughts: Why Sunshine Fest 2025 Matters Everyone

Sunshine Fest 2025 is more than just a conference—it’s an opportunity to stand up for government transparency and demand real change.

This event will bring together some of the most dedicated advocates for open government, and I’m honored to be speaking alongside them. If you’re passionate about transparency, I invite you to join me in Washington, D.C. for this crucial event.

🔗 Register for Sunshine Fest 2025

Together, we can fight for accountability, challenge government secrecy, and make real progress toward a more transparent future.

About the Speaker

🚀 Frank Curry | Founder of FOIA Buddy & Transparency Advocate

As the founder of FOIA Buddy, Frank Curry is dedicated to making government transparency unavoidable. With expertise in software engineering, investigative journalism, and automation, he builds tools that empower people to cut through bureaucratic red tape and expose fraud, waste, and abuse.

At Sunshine Fest 2025, Frank will be speaking about:

The Office of Open Records’ (OOR) systemic bias
The growing misuse of ‘vexatious requester’ labels
The urgent need for enforcement reforms in transparency laws

📌 Check out Frank’s official speaker profile here:
🔗 Sunshine Fest Speakers

The Office of Open Records: A Bias That Protects Agencies, Not the Public

The Pennsylvania Office of Open Records (OOR) was designed to help citizens access public records, but is it truly serving the people, or just another shield for government agencies? With no real enforcement power and a history of siding with agencies over requesters, the OOR raises serious concerns about transparency and accountability in Pennsylvania.

When agencies know they can ignore requests, delay responses, and face no real consequences, the system is broken. Should an oversight body be funded by the very government it’s supposed to regulate? If transparency laws are to work, the OOR must be reformed to ensure it serves the public—not the agencies it protects.

🔗 Read more about the OOR’s bias and the fight for real transparency:
The Pennsylvania Office of Open Records: Protecting Agencies Instead of the Public

Disclaimer

This article is based on publicly available information, legal statutes, and official sources related to Sunshine Fest 2025, the Pennsylvania Right to Know Law (RTKL), and government transparency practices. The views expressed herein are opinions informed by a factual analysis of public records access, enforcement mechanisms, and the role of oversight agencies such as the Office of Open Records (OOR). Any conclusions drawn represent reasonable interpretations of existing laws, policies, and government actions as they pertain to public accountability. This article does not assert any unlawful conduct but raises questions regarding systemic transparency challenges and the need for reform.

Help Us Fight for Transparency

If you believe in government accountability and the right to public information, consider supporting FOIA Buddy. The more people who push back, the harder it becomes for agencies to keep hiding the truth.

Transparency shouldn’t require a lawsuit. But if it does, I’ll be there fighting as a pro se litigant so you don’t have to.

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If you have information about fraud, abuse, or retaliation, contact FOIA Buddy today. Let’s work together to expose the truth, ensuring transparency, accountability, and justice for all.