National Freedom of Information Coalition
Protecting Your Right to Open Government

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In ‘Lost’ Trove Of IRS Emails, 2,500 May Link White House To Confidential Taxpayer Data

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The recent news that the lost or destroyed Lois Lerner emails were actually not lost or destroyed surprised some people. That they will now be sorted, cataloged and released provokes mixed reactions. It has some Republicans upset that more wasn’t done and more transparently. It has some Democrats upset that more money is being spent on what some see as a witch hunt that reveals not even a smidgen of corruption. Despite the 18 months of dissembling about who did what and when, the latter reaction may be premature.

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Area lawmakers tentatively support Open Meetings update

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Lansing-area lawmakers are open to modernizing the state's nearly four-decades-old Open Meetings Act, provided it doesn't put too much burden on governments.

Earlier this month, the Michigan Law Revision Commission recommended the Legislature update state law to require a public body that "directly or indirectly maintains an official Internet presence" to put more information such as meeting notices, minutes and "records that are the subjects of agenda items" online.

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Attorney general looks into FOIA requests about St. E’s hospital plans

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What was said to whom and when about St. Elizabeth’s Hospital’s plans for a replacement hospital in O’Fallon have led to Freedom of Information Act requests by the city of Belleville and the hospital. And now the attorney general is investigating those requests and the responses provided.

Attorney General Lisa Madigan has called for further inquiry into responses to the FOIA requests Belleville made to O’Fallon, and the requests St. Elizabeth’s made to Belleville

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Open data startup Socrata brings in $30M to make government data more accessible

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Socrata, a startup working to make government data more easily accessible to companies and services, has raised $30 million in new funding.

Socrata has raised at least $30 million out of possible $35 million it’s seeking to close, according to a filing it submitted today to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. The filing lists Jai Das of Sapphire Ventures as a director.

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DHS needs to improve FOIA processing, cost reporting, congressional investigators say

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Although the Homeland Security Department pledged three years ago to steadily reduce backlogged Freedom of Information Act requests, the number has risen even higher, congressional investigators said.

DHS made some progress by the end of fiscal 2012 to reduce the backlog, but the numbers have risen to more than 50,000 in fiscal 2013, an increase of more than 9,000 since 2011, according to the Government Accountability Office report (pdf) released Nov. 19.

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Robbins Geller FOIA Suit Puts Pressure On Wal-Mart

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Robbins Geller Rudman & Dowd LLP's bid for documents from the government's probe into alleged foreign bribery by Wal-Mart Stores Inc. will likely be trumped by a powerful exemption to the Freedom of Information Act, but experts say the suit ramps up pressure on the retailer to be more transparent with shareholders.

The firm accused the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission in a lawsuit of violating FOIA by withholding documents Wal-Mart gave the commission related to an alleged bribery scheme connected with the retailer's growth in Mexico.

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Illinois House overrides veto of FOIA legislation

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The Illinois House has voted to override Gov. Pat Quinn's veto of legislation that allows governments to charge higher fees for large public records requests.

Legislators voted 77-36 on Wednesday to override the veto. It now goes to the Illinois Senate, where it will require a three-fifths vote to override.

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Opinion: Senate should promote accountable government with FOIA bill

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A useful filter for evaluating a public policy idea is to ask whether the idea serves the interests of the public or serves the interests of government.

House Bill 4001 is a good example of a policy that serves the interests of the public while facing opposition from government agencies.

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