National Freedom of Information Coalition
Protecting Your Right to Open Government

Author: NFOIC

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

Posts by NFOIC

Florida open-government advocates are ready for a fight

Posted on

Advocates of open government met in Orlando on Monday to discuss ways to fight what they describe as a growing trend toward government secrecy in Florida.

The Florida Sunshine Coalition, part of the Florida First Amendment Foundation of Tallahassee, called for increased cooperation among newspapers, TV stations, nonprofit groups, academic institutions and law firms to battle a rise in efforts to thwart the state's long tradition of open government.

[…]

Read More… from Florida open-government advocates are ready for a fight

Augusta’s IT Department awarded for work to provide government transparency

Posted on

For close to a decade Jeff Lewis has been working on Augusta's city website and keeping up with the fast changing world of technology to make it more convenient for you.

"As far as paying bills, looking up documents records," IT department employee Jeff Lewis said.

[…]

Read More… from Augusta’s IT Department awarded for work to provide government transparency

Transparency bill gets second life in Maine Legislature

Posted on

A state senator from Cape Neddick is hoping her initiative aimed at improving government transparency will be revived this week.

Democrat Dawn Hill will have to convince at least one Republican leader to support her efforts to enhance the flow of information between state agencies and the Legislature. The legislative council rejected Hill's bill last month along party lines, but the sponsor says there are new developments that warrant a second look.

[…]

Read More… from Transparency bill gets second life in Maine Legislature

EDITORIAL: Oregon Attorney General’s skewed public-records task force

Posted on

Oregon Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum late last month announced the formation of a Public Records Law Reform Task Force to review and recommend improvements to Oregon's public records laws. In doing so, she expressed confidence "that this representative group will provide real recommendations for the Legislature to improve transparency and access to information about our government."

Representative? Of what, exactly? Certainly not a broad cross-section of political thought, that's for sure.

[…]

Read More… from EDITORIAL: Oregon Attorney General’s skewed public-records task force

Government transparency job left vacant in Maryland

Posted on

When a Towson University student journalist asked for emails about how school officials dealt with allegations that someone had videotaped the swim team getting undressed, university officials asked him to pay more than $2,000 for the records request.

The student, Cody Boteler, asked to have the fees waived. When the university did not promptly respond, the senior wrote a scathing editorial in the Towerlight student publication, saying it was "asinine" to ask a student journalist to pay so much.

[…]

Read More… from Government transparency job left vacant in Maryland

Wisconsin Democrats, open government advocates float alternate campaign finance reform

Posted on

Wisconsin watchdog groups and Democratic lawmakers say there's a better way for the state to rewrite its campaign finance laws than the one Republicans are poised to pass on Monday.

The bill Republicans will likely send to the governor's desk would allow unlimited donations to political parties and let candidates coordinate fundraising and strategy with outside groups that keep their donors secret.

[…]

Read More… from Wisconsin Democrats, open government advocates float alternate campaign finance reform

Some Colorado counties charge thousands of dollars for public inspection of ballot records

Posted on

The public can inspect voted ballots in Colorado. So says a state Court of Appeals decision in 2011 and state legislation enacted the following year.

But some counties are making it prohibitively expensive for at least one election watchdog to obtain the records he says are needed to independently audit the accuracy of voting systems.

[…]

Read More… from Some Colorado counties charge thousands of dollars for public inspection of ballot records

PRESS RELEASE: Florida Sunshine Coalition to take action against open government attacks at Nov. 16 summit

Posted on

Open government in Florida is under attack and the Florida First Amendment Foundation (FAF) is taking action.

Gathering in Orlando on Monday, Nov. 16, FAF and other members of the Florida Sunshine Coalition will discuss the issues and open government challenges Florida citizens face today and those the Coalition anticipates for the 2016 legislative session. They will decide on a platform for the Coalition and develop a plan for moving forward.

[…]

Read More… from PRESS RELEASE: Florida Sunshine Coalition to take action against open government attacks at Nov. 16 summit

Your rights, responsibilities when seeking public records in Texas

Posted on

If you’ve seen news reports on suspicious state contracts or chemical waste pits or officials’ text messages in the Waco biker shootout, you may notice a recurring theme: Government records obtained through the Texas Public Information Act.

Fortunately, our state’s public information law, created in the early 1970s, presumes government records are open unless a specific exemption in the law keeps the documents off limits.

[…]

Read More… from Your rights, responsibilities when seeking public records in Texas