National Freedom of Information Coalition
Protecting Your Right to Open Government

Author: NFOIC

Profile picture of NFOIC
Website
https://nfoic.org

Posts by NFOIC

COALITION SUES NORTH CAROLINA OVER CONSTITUTIONALITY OF ‘ANTI-SUNSHINE’ LAW

Posted on

Raleigh, N.C. – A coalition of animal protection, consumer rights, food safety, and whistleblower protection organizations filed a federal lawsuit today challenging the constitutionality of a North Carolina law designed to deter whistleblowers and undercover investigators from publicizing information about corporate misconduct.

[…]

Read More… from COALITION SUES NORTH CAROLINA OVER CONSTITUTIONALITY OF ‘ANTI-SUNSHINE’ LAW

D.C. mayor names new CTO, unveils open data policy

Posted on

Washington, D.C., is moving to overhaul its IT operations, placing a special focus on open data.

Mayor Muriel Bowser announced Tuesday that Archana Vemulapalli, chief technology officer of facilities management company Pristine Technologies, will become the district’s new CTO. She’ll replace interim CTO David Bishop, who was filling in after Tegene Baharu resigned in October.  Continue…

———————

[…]

Read More… from D.C. mayor names new CTO, unveils open data policy

Editorial: Standards Are Crucial to Successful Open Data Policies

Posted on

I recently moderated an event for the National Governors Association at the Harvard Kennedy School. In one session, performance management expert Bob Behn told a group of governors’ chiefs of staff that one of the most basic but often overlooked aspects of an efficient organization is a shared definition of key terms. Simple words can take on significantly different meanings to different people, and if a standard definition for these words is not set, collaboration is stifled by miscommunication.

[…]

Read More… from Editorial: Standards Are Crucial to Successful Open Data Policies

Wisconsin Public Records Board Rescinds Controversial Action on Open Records

Posted on

After a public outcry, the Wisconsin Public Records Board voted unanimously on Monday to rescind actions it took on August 24 that were apparently used by the Walker administration to deny a pending public records request.

[…]

Read More… from Wisconsin Public Records Board Rescinds Controversial Action on Open Records

Wisconsin Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald: No plans to change open records laws this session

Posted on

Republican lawmakers in the state Senate have no plans to revisit changes to Wisconsin's open records law in the final months of the legislative session, a top GOP senator said last week. 

But many lawmakers still think some changes to the law are needed, Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald, R-Juneau, said in an interview with the Cap Times.  Continue…

[…]

Read More… from Wisconsin Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald: No plans to change open records laws this session

GOP report slams FCC on open records

Posted on

The Federal Communications Commission might be deliberately withholding public records, according to a Republican-led report released this week. 

The House Oversight and Government Reform Committee report concluded that the FCC's is either incompetent or intentionally misused redactions under the Freedom of Information Act to withhold internal communication about its controversial Internet regulations.  Continue…

[…]

Read More… from GOP report slams FCC on open records

House passes sweeping FOIA reform legislation

Posted on

The House on Monday passed legislation that would create the most sweeping reforms to federal open records laws in nearly a decade. 

Approved by voice vote, the measure would limit exemptions under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) that now allow federal agencies to hold back information.  Continue…

———————

[…]

Read More… from House passes sweeping FOIA reform legislation

Editorial: When can the FBI use National Security Letters to spy on journalists? That’s classified.

Posted on

Remember one year ago when then-Attorney General Eric Holder supposedly tightened restrictions on the Justice Department so it could not easily conduct surveillance on journalists’ emails and phone calls? Well it turns out the Justice Department inserted a large loophole in its internal rules that allows the FBI to completely circumvent those restrictions and spy on journalists in secrecy—and with absolutely no court oversight—using National Security Letters.

[…]

Read More… from Editorial: When can the FBI use National Security Letters to spy on journalists? That’s classified.