In 2007 the Vermont Department of Taxes released the source code to their streamlined sales tax software, the gateway, under the Mozilla Public License. It was the first time a State of Vermont agency had released source code under an open source license. This talk will explain how that happened, why it was a great idea and how others in state government can share their source code. Information on the benefits of open source will be discussed, and a few tips will be given on how to convince management that it's a good idea to release source code under an open source license. Criteria for determining if a particular software project is a good candidate for open source will be given. The mechanics of open sourcing a software project will be presented step by step. This starts with getting permission from your supervisor and ends with the first release. Various licensing options and requirements will be explained. The most common open source development models will be discussed (benevolent dictator, core team, etc). Links to sites offering free services to open source projects will be shared. Tips for being a good member of the open source community will also be given. After attending this presentation, the listener should have the tools and knowledge required to begin developing open source software within a government organization.