Judge rules town of Waverly (VA) violated FOIA
At a Wednesday afternoon hearing, Sussex County Circuit Court Chief Judge W. Allan Sharrett found that Waverly’s mayor and town clerk had knowingly violated the state’s Freedom of Information Act and failed to comply with a provision of the state’s open meetings law.
House Oversight panel approves FOIA reforms
The House Oversight Committee on Wednesday approved a bill aimed at increasing the public's access to government documents.
The changes to the Freedom of Information Act, approved by voice vote, were sponsored by Reps. Darrell Issa (R-Calif.) and ranking member Elijah Cummings (D-Md).
In Portsmouth, OH, Sunshine training routine among boards, city lacking
With the revelation that most members of Portsmouth City Council have not taken Sunshine Laws training to understand the need for all things to be done in open sessions so the public can know what is going on, comes word that most local boards are operated by people who have had the training.
Knoxville (TN) launches training on sunshine laws
Knoxville officials have begun offering training sessions for city board members after finding possible violations of the state’s sunshine laws.
The move stems from a public records request by the Knoxville News Sentinel (http://bit.ly/1ycCqPj) in relation to a proposed $9 million digital radio system being discussed by the Knox County E-911 Board of Directors. The newspaper reports the city gave it copies of emails that show some board members discussed the contract in private.
Poll Finds Little Support for Cuomo’s Policy on Purging State Emails
New York State voters overwhelmingly disagree with the Cuomo administration’s policy of automatically deleting state workers’ emails after 90 days, according to a poll released Monday.
Eighty percent of voters said emails should be saved for a significantly longer period of time, according to the poll, which was conducted by Siena College. Only 16 percent supported the speedy email purges.
Attorneys say ND, MN transparency laws need digital revamp
Freedom-of-information advocates say the open records laws in Minnesota and North Dakota are strong but need updating to address ambiguities concerning digital records, such as audio, video, emails and texts, which government officials are using more and more.
Commentary: Transaprency News during Sunshine Week in Ohio
The Ohio Senate made the right decision last week when it announced plans to broadcast coming budget deliberations. It balked at the move last session, when the Ohio House opted to stream its Finance Committee hearings over the Ohio Channel (online at www.ohiochannel.org).
Newsmakers video: The Best & Worst of WNC Open Government
At its Newsmakers forum held on March 17, Carolina Public Press hosted some of the state’s top open government advocates and reporters for a live interview and public question and answer forum about challenges to open government in North Carolina. Two dozen people attended the free and public forum, which was held at the Jackson County Public Library in Sylva.
The event also helped mark Sunshine Week, the annual nationwide celebration of access to public information and what it means for you and your community.
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Read More… from Newsmakers video: The Best & Worst of WNC Open Government
Opinion: Ain’t no Sunshine (in Michigan)
What a terrible Sunshine Week.
Founded in 2002, Sunshine Week is celebrated each year in the interest of a simple philosophy: “Open government is good government.” Journalists, activists and supporters of government transparency use this week to commend the strides made for open government, criticize the backslides and lobby for more change.
With Illinois FOIA and Open Meetings Act, it’s McHenry County residents’ right to know
Five years ago, the Northwest Herald began an ongoing series called “No More Excuses” to badger and shame local governments into compliance with new and much stronger open-government laws.