National Freedom of Information Coalition
Protecting Your Right to Open Government

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Discipline reporting bill OK’d despite concerns about access to data on school-to-prison pipeline

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A school discipline reporting bill cleared the House Education Committee on Wednesday, despite concerns it would limit the ability of community organizations to obtain data needed to analyze factors contributing to the school-to-prison pipeline.

Jim Freeman, executive director of The Grassroots Action Support Team, testified that HB 16-1098 would make it harder for groups such as Denver-based Padres & Jóvenes Unidos to find out how many students enter the juvenile justice system because of offenses committed at schools.

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Michigan Attorney General wants to broaden open-records law

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Michigan's top law enforcement official says the governor's office should no longer be exempt from public-records requests.

Michigan is one of just two states with a blanket exemption for the governor and the executive office from open-records requests. Republican Attorney General Bill Schuette said Tuesday the "reset button has been pushed" because of crisis over Flint's water being contaminated with lead, and he is hopeful that lawmakers will broaden the law. 

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Should Ohio private schools disclose more?

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A four-page bill is causing a stink in Cincinnati. It's a back-and-forth battle about parents’ right to know versus private schools’ right to independent operation.

The bill would require private schools to publish some information on their websites, including enrollment and financial data. Other information – reading lists and school bylaws, for example – would have to be accessible to parents of enrolled students.

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Op-Ed: Oregon agencies avoid public scrutiny by abusing attorney-client privilege

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Attorney-client privilege is a near-sacred pillar of our legal system. It protects disclosure of legal communications, specifically excluding attorneys from being compelled to testify regarding most client communications in any legal proceeding.

Regrettably, some state agencies are inappropriately manipulating attorney-client privilege as a shield against public disclosure laws. Continue…

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Editorial: Hawaii voters want transparency, accountability

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Across the nation, this seems to be a year in which not just distrust but outright contempt for government is driving the body politic.

For both major political parties, perceived outsiders are at or near the top of the polls after months of campaigning and one state caucus. A national average of public opinion polls shows less than 30 percent of Americans feel the country is headed in the right direction while more than 63 percent say it’s headed in the wrong direction.

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Indiana Senate to hear bill to let police withhold body camera video

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An Indiana Senate panel will hear arguments on a bill to give law enforcement agencies the authority to withhold body camera video from the public. 

Members of the judiciary committee will start the debate of the bill at 9:30 Wednesday morning. The measure being heard Wednesday passed the House last month in a 65-30 vote.

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Mayor de Blasio fails to follow through on transparency promise

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New York Mayor Bill de Blasio, who vowed to bring transparency to City Hall, repeatedly met with lobbyists but failed to disclose the sit-downs as promised.

An analysis of hundreds of pages of de Blasio’s personal schedules found dozens of meetings and conference calls with lobbyists that were not included on a list of “lobbying meetings” posted on the city’s website.

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Major FOIA change afoot: Virginia bill protects names of state, local employees

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Virginia legislation that could make it nigh impossible to discover the annual salaries of most state and local employees is headed to the Senate floor for a vote.

Senate Bill 552 cleared committee Monday by a single vote, and with some confusion over just how broad the bill was — it was pitched as protection only for law enforcement names.

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