NFOIC – Page 173 – National Freedom of Information Coalition

Editorial: Pennsylvania is moving backwards on government transparency

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While news organizations, good government groups and – hopefully – public-minded citizens were commemorating right-to-know and open-meetings laws during Sunshine Week last month, clouds of obstruction were forming over the Pennsylvania State Capitol in the form of House Bill 1310.

The bill, sponsored by Rep. Maria Donatucci, D-Philadelphia, would prohibit release of so-called "identifying information" in 911 calls. That would include the name, telephone number, address and location associated with any call.

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Tennessee bill about officer-involved shootings causes transparency concerns

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Open government advocates are speaking out against an amendment to a bill that would keep investigations into officer-involved shootings closed to the public unless the district attorney for the area the shooting happened in, and the chief officer for the law enforcement agency involved, agree to release the findings.

That could keep investigative findings about an officer involved shooting from the public indefinitely. The amendment is part of a bill that originally required the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation to investigate all officer-involved shootings.

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Higher fines OK’d for violating Washington’s open meetings law

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The penalties will be pricier for public officials who knowingly attend meetings in violation of Washington state’s open-meetings law.

The state’s Open Public Meetings Act requires all meetings of governing bodies of public agencies to be open to the public.

The law covers agencies, commissions, departments, education institutions, local governments, special purpose districts and state boards. Continue…

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Supreme Court hearing set in Michigan ‘public official’ lawsuit

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A case that began in the wood-paneled meeting room in the village of Oakley will be heard in the chambers of Michigan's highest court, where justices will consider defining the term "public official" in how it applies to the state's Open Meetings Act.

The proceedings began three years ago in April 2013, when Hemlock attorney Philip L. Ellison sued Oakley village Clerk Cheryl Bolf on behalf of Oakley resident Shannon Bitterman, alleging violations from a closed meeting in November 2012.

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MIT Media Lab launches ‘Data USA’

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Combing through federal data has typically been a daunting affair. Even with tools and know-how, it requires patience and a penchant for understanding minutiae. Yet a partnership between the MIT Media Lab and tech companies Deloitte and Datawheel are vying to change this.

On Monday, April 4, the trio released Data USA, an open source platform promoted as “the most comprehensive website and visualization engine” ever created for U.S. government data.

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Op-ed: Wisconsin’s open records law remains under siege, assault

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Here's an idea: State government's top criminal investigator should follow—and not try to circumvent—the open records law.

But former Corrections Secretary Ed Wall, who is on paid leave as director of the state Justice Department's Criminal Division while investigators determine how he responded to alleged assaults at the state's prison for juveniles, tried to end-run the records law.

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Indiana taxpayers footing bill for public records lawsuit

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Hoosier taxpayers have paid $160,000 in legal fees to shield Indiana House and Senate communications from public view in just eight months.

The final tab will be higher because the most recent tally from the Indiana Auditor’s Office doesn’t include a bill covering the March 17 oral argument before the Indiana Supreme Court.

“That’s a lot of money,” said Kerwin Olson, executive director of the Citizens Action Coalition. “It would have been a lot cheaper just to honor the public records law.”

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Oklahoma House votes to keep secret names of armed school personnel

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The identities of school personnel who carry weapons could be kept secret under legislation passed Monday by the Oklahoma House of Representatives.

Senate Bill 1036, by Sen. Jason Smalley, R-Stroud, exempts records containing those names from the Oklahoma Open Records and Open Meetings Acts.

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Virginia Gov. McAuliffe signs bill to reverse anti-FOIA ruling by state Supreme Court

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After initially expressing concerns about a bill to ensure nonexempt public records are released, Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe has signed it.

Ginger Stanley, executive director of the Virginia Press Association, praised the governor’s decision after open-government advocates and lawmakers from both parties last month criticized his resistance.

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South Carolina DOT reducing open records fees

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The South Carolina Department of Transportation is reducing the fees it charges for public information requests in an effort to be more transparent.

The state’s transportation agency will no longer charge for staff time in fulfilling requests that take less than two hours to complete. That includes time researching, retrieving and copying information or documents.

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Author: NFOIC

Posts by NFOIC

Editorial: Pennsylvania is moving backwards on government transparency

Tennessee bill about officer-involved shootings causes transparency concerns

Higher fines OK’d for violating Washington’s open meetings law

Supreme Court hearing set in Michigan ‘public official’ lawsuit

MIT Media Lab launches ‘Data USA’

Op-ed: Wisconsin’s open records law remains under siege, assault

Indiana taxpayers footing bill for public records lawsuit

Oklahoma House votes to keep secret names of armed school personnel

Virginia Gov. McAuliffe signs bill to reverse anti-FOIA ruling by state Supreme Court

South Carolina DOT reducing open records fees