National Freedom of Information Coalition
Protecting Your Right to Open Government

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FOI Oklahoma accepting nominations for annual First Amendment awards ceremony

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FOI Oklahoma is accepting nominations for its eighth-annual awards ceremony that recognizes organizations and individuals who promoted the First Amendment and freedom of information in 2014.

The ceremony will be March 14 at the Ronald J. Norick Downtown Library, 300 Park Ave. Sunshine Week activities begin the following day.

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“We Vote Project” Urges Transparency In Nebraska State Government

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The "We Vote" project wants your voice to be heard at the Capitol. It's their goal to create a more transparent government and let the public weigh in on legislative bills.

The group held a seminar Saturday to get the word out on how their website will make it easier for you to keep track of your state government.

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Despite claims of transparency, Gov. Hassan refuses to release proposals to make state government more efficient

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Gov. Maggie Hassan says she’s all about government efficiency and transparency. But when it comes to efficiency in government spending, she’s hardly transparent.

Pulling together the state’s two-year, $10 billion budget – which affects virtually every person in New Hampshire – is shaping up to be the big challenge of her second term.

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Editorial: Florida Gov. Rick Scott should embrace openness rather than secrecy

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The spotlight turns on Tallahassee today as Gov. Rick Scott is sworn in for a second term, and there will be optimistic speeches and pronouncements about the Sunshine State's bright future. Yet the governor and the Legislature have driven state government into the darkness with their disregard for public records and brazen attempts to keep public business secret. If this is a day of fresh starts, then Scott and legislative leaders should pledge to honor Florida's commitment to government in the sunshine instead of fighting it at every turn.

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Transparency in the New Year: Open Government and Gridlock

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Does transparency help or hurt the function of our government? In continuing work at the Brookings Institution, scholars engage this question as one fundamental to effective governance and our understanding of our own system. In a January 2 opinion piece in the Washington Post, Gary Bass, Danielle Brian and Norman Eisen take up the cause, arguing that smoke-filled, closed-door, behind-the-scenes government is not the answer.

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Make it easier for public to get government information

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Former Beaufort County Council chairman Weston Newton is making Beaufort County proud. Now a Republican state representative, Newton has made open government a priority. He chaired a subcommittee last year that studied ways to improve the state's Freedom of Information Act — an oft-used vehicle by which the media and public get information about their government.

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Is a Public Official’s Calendar a Public Record?

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It’s a pretty simple question for a public official: “What exactly do you do with your time?” Sometimes, the best way to answer that question is to obtain the official’s calendar, through the state’s open records law.

In my work as a reporter, I’ve done this for the state treasurer and his staff, who work for an office with few official duties. I’ve also used the monthly calendars of Gov. Scott Walker to plot his travel and track his day-to-day meetings.

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The Register’s Editorial: After 5 years, we keep waiting for federal records

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The Des Moines Register received a call last week from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' Freedom of Information Act Office, which processes requests for public documents.

The call was a sobering reminder of the pace at which the federal government handles requests for information:

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