NFOIC – Page 164 – National Freedom of Information Coalition

New Indiana Supreme Court ruling hurting government transparency, attorneys say

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An Indiana Supreme Court decision is already having a negative impact on government transparency and access to records, just days after it was handed down, according to several Indianapolis attorneys.

On April 19, the Indiana Supreme Court effectively ruled state lawmakers can continue to withhold their email communications from public disclosure, including emails with constituents and lobbyists.

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Editorial: Ohio open records bill is a winner

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An open government is a more honest and efficient government. But Ohioans often face unnecessary delays and obstacles when they ask for records that document what government is up to — either because public officials don’t know open-records laws, misinterpret them or purposely stall to cover up misdeeds.

Unless a citizen has tens of thousands of dollars and years to spend on a court lawsuit, he’s out of luck. Crooked or obstinate government officials know this, and use it to exploit the law.

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Advocates argue budget threatens Connecticut’s right-to-know agency

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Both the state Freedom of Information Commission and the state's leading right-to-know advocacy group warned Friday that a proposed 20 percent budget cut for the commission — and the possible transfer of its public information officer into Gov. Dannel P. Malloy’s office — could greatly weaken state government transparency.

But the Senate chair of the General Assembly’s Appropriations Committee, West Hartford Democrat Beth Bye, warned that the FOIC’s funding is far from settled, and many alternatives remain on the table.

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Editorial: End to ‘dark money’ would be good start

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They call it “dark money” because it avoids the light of day. If the term sounds sinister to you, that’s because it is. And it has become the lifeblood of politics.

Alabama Gov. Robert Bentley knows a thing or two about it. So does Rebekah Caldwell Mason. While Bentley made a big deal about not accepting dark money in his campaign for governor, he turned around and paid Mason, his top “political adviser,” with dark money.

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Appeals court rules for U-M in open meetings lawsuit

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The Michigan Court of Appeals has upheld the University of Michigan's practice of holding some of its board meetings behind closed doors.

The ruling upheld a lower court's ruling in a lawsuit filed by the Detroit Free Press.

"The Constitution permits defendant to hold informal meetings in private; defendant is only required to hold its formal meetings in public," the ruling said. Continue…

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FOIA ‘still interested letters’ have uncertain effect on requesters, report finds

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Sending a so-called "still interested letter" to someone who requested responses under the U.S. Freedom of Information Act has an uncertain effect, an analysis found.

It's tough to measure these letters' effect on requesters, found part one of a study by the Compliance Team at the Office of Government Information Services, or OGIS, on the use of such letters by the 15 Cabinet-level agencies between fiscal years 1998 and 2014, according to an April 27 blog post by the National Archives' FOIA ombudsman.

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College athletes’ privacy rights questioned in Montana records case

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Should intercollegiate athletes have diminished expectations of privacy? Best-selling author Jon Krakauer and his attorney, Mike Meloy of Helena, say yes.

At the heart of Krakauer’s wide-ranging argument for the release of documents related to the decision to vacate former Montana Grizzlies quarterback Jordan Johnson's expulsion after university proceedings found him guilty of sexual assault in 2013 is the contention that student-athletes aren’t subject to privacy laws due to their status as public figures.

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Kansas House unanimously passes bill to close private email loophole

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The House voted unanimously Thursday to close a loophole in the Kansas Open Records Act that allowed public officials to avoid scrutiny by using private email to conduct official business.

SB 22 will close the loophole and make public officials’ private emails open records if they pertain to official business. Private emails on personal matters would remain private.

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New Mexico reveals names of marijuana producers; lawsuit dismissed

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The New Mexico Foundation for Open Government (NMFOG) and freelance journalist Peter St. Cyr have dismissed their lawsuit against the New Mexico Department of Health after the DOH amended its regulations that kept secret the names of licensed medical marijuana producers.

The lawsuit was filed last July in the state district court in Albuquerque, but NMFOG and St. Cyr stayed further action within weeks of the filing after DOH agreed to begin administrative procedures to remove the confidentiality provisions.

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Editorial: Fine would teach Maine education funding panel about open meetings law

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The first meeting this week of a special state commission on education funding has made clear that the panel has a lot to learn about government transparency and accountability.

The group flouted Maine’s open-meetings law by getting together behind closed doors. Each member of the commission could now face a hefty fine – and they should, if the public’s right to know is to stand for anything.

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Author: NFOIC

Posts by NFOIC

New Indiana Supreme Court ruling hurting government transparency, attorneys say

Editorial: Ohio open records bill is a winner

Advocates argue budget threatens Connecticut’s right-to-know agency

Editorial: End to ‘dark money’ would be good start

Appeals court rules for U-M in open meetings lawsuit

FOIA ‘still interested letters’ have uncertain effect on requesters, report finds

College athletes’ privacy rights questioned in Montana records case

Kansas House unanimously passes bill to close private email loophole

New Mexico reveals names of marijuana producers; lawsuit dismissed

Editorial: Fine would teach Maine education funding panel about open meetings law