National Freedom of Information Coalition
Protecting Your Right to Open Government

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Michigan: University plans release of course evaluation data

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Engineering Prof. James Holloway, the vice provost for Global and Engaged Education, said Monday the University could implement plans to release course evaluation data as early as this semester.

Holloway’s announcement at Monday’s Senate Assembly Committee on University Affairs’ meeting came as a surprise to many of the committee’s members.  Continue>>>

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Editorial by Jonathan D. Jones: Government transparency is being lost in N.C.

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As the General Assembly concludes its business for the year, it is time to take stock of changes made to North Carolina's sunshine laws.

So far lawmakers have approved, and Gov. Pat McCrory has signed, seven new exemptions to the Public Records Law. Three more lurk in the recently finalized budget bill.  Continue>>>

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Editorial: Open government training should be required of Idaho elected officials

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The Idaho Legislature should require open meetings and open records trainings for all newly elected officials in the state — from legislators themselves down to county clerks and city councilmen — following a string of violations in the state.

Other states already have similar requirements, including Washington, Texas, Maine and Florida. Continue…

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State agency rejects request by cops to classify body camera footage as private

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A state agency has rejected a request by several Minnesota police departments to classify body camera footage as private, saying that state law should clarify how the data is handled in the wake of the fast-growing technology.

Law enforcement agencies had argued current state law did not adequately address the issue of addressing both a citizen’s right to privacy and the public’s right to information. Continue…

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Texas Supreme Court ruling shields contract details

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A recent Texas Supreme Court ruling has made it easier for private companies to keep secret details of their contracts with the state and local governments, a move that public information advocates warn is ripe for abuse.

"It's one of the worst rulings to ever come out of the Texas Supreme Court," said Joe Larsen, an open government attorney who also serves on the Freedom of Information Foundation of Texas. Continue…

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Florida courts give lobbyists a pass on ‘Sunshine’ laws

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Three weeks ago, a misdemeanor case ended without much fanfare in Orange County, Florida. And yet, for lobbyists throughout the state, it was reason to uncork the champagne.

The case was against lobbyist Chris Dorworth, the former legislator at the center of the expressway-authority scandal that led to multiple indictments, one prison sentence and, ultimately, the disintegration of the entire agency. Continue…

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Oregon executive session rules under review

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Government officials across Oregon could get a clearer idea of when they can meet behind closed doors in 2016, when the Oregon Government Ethics Commission plans to begin a process to clarify state law on executive sessions.

The Legislature passed a law earlier this year to give the ethics commission authority to write administrative rules that will spell out how the state should apply the law on executive sessions.  Continue…

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