NFOIC – Page 334 – National Freedom of Information Coalition

Editorial: S.E.C. Raises Barrier to Disclosure of Information

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The Freedom of Information Act is supposed to make it easier for journalists and ordinary Americans to obtain documents and other information about how the federal government conducts its business. As such, it is one of the bedrocks of our democracy. “It is often described as the law that keeps citizens in the know about their government,” boasts FOIA.gov, a website dedicated to the law.

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Pa. legal experts call on Castille, Kane to release justices’ email

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Pennsylvania Chief Justice Ronald Castille and Attorney General Kathleen Kane must release an estimated 4,000 emails exchanged between Supreme Court justices and the attorney general's office to preserve public trust in Pennsylvania's judicial system, a coalition of legal experts said Tuesday.

In an open letter to Castille and Kane, the group said the release of hundreds of sexually explicit emails that retired Justice Seamus P. McCaffery exchanged with an agent in the attorney general's office was a first step toward transparency.

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Editorial: Where open government isn’t open

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If Amsterdam, N.Y. Mayor Ann Thane spent as much time addressing reality as she does dodging it — or
giving it a fresh coat of white wash — she might have more time to fix what’s broken here on the home front.

The polarizing leader of this fair city is nearing the final year of her second term in office and as each day passes finds more ways to point the finger at everyone else, bemoaning their flaws and inabilities, instead of taking a good hard look at where the buck truly stops.

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Which is better; public speculation or facts?

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Forty-seven years ago the Arkansas Legislature passed one of the most comprehensive and strongest open-records and open meetings laws in the United States. In fact, when the Arkansas Freedom of Information Act passed in 1967, it cruised through both the House and the Senate without a single dissenting vote. Then Gov. Winthrop Rockefeller called the act’s passage “one of the most significant achievements of his administrations”.

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Launch of Open Government Licence 3.0

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Today we have launched the Open Government Licence version 3.0. This follows consultation with users and other stakeholders in the open data community on how the Licence could be developed further to reflect new thinking on the licensing of public sector information.

The Open Government Licence (OGL) is part of the UK Government Licensing Framework (UKGLF) which was launched in 2010. The OGL permits the use and re-use of a wide range of government and other public sector information. This supports the government's policy on transparency and open data.

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D.C. Major Gray appoints open gov advisory group. But will it last?

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Washington D.C. Mayor Vincent Gray appointed a 15-member advisory group Wednesday, one of several initiatives to roll out the open government directive he promulgated in July.

The Open Government Advisory Group is mostly composed of members of the administration, like Office of Open Government director Traci Hughes, Office of the Chief Technology Officer CTO Rob Mancini and Ayesha Abbasi from the Office of the Deputy Mayor for Planning and Economic Development.

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Opinion: The BLM fails to provide public records

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When High Country News began using the Freedom of Information Act to gather official reports of threats against federal employees in the West, we didn't expect that the main obstacle would arise in one federal agency's headquarters.

Our intention was positive: By examining and summarizing the incidents, we hoped to ease tensions and encourage more respect for the federal employees as they go about their duties in the field.

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Watchdog Calls Out Garden Grove for Withholding Records

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The First Amendment watchdog group and NFOIC affiliate member, Californians Aware is calling on the Garden Grove City Council to publicly apologize under threat of legal action for a violation of the state's open meetings law, after it withheld an investigative report on the fire department last week.

At the Oct. 14 City Council meeting, council members received a written report investigating management issues in the fire department.

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Open government group: FL Gov. Scott won’t commit to reversing practices in second term

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Declaring that Florida's open government laws have been "under attack in recent years," the First Amendment Foundation asked the two candidates for governor to answer three questions pledging to reverse recent trends and operate with more transparent practices if they are elected.

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Editorial: Consequences for violating the Freedom of Information Act

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I was happy to read in the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette (subscription required) today that Prosecuting Attorney Larry Jegley intends to file a charge of violation of the Freedom of Information Act against Rodney Forte, director of the Metropolitan Housing Alliance of Little Rock.

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Author: NFOIC

Posts by NFOIC

Editorial: S.E.C. Raises Barrier to Disclosure of Information

Pa. legal experts call on Castille, Kane to release justices’ email

Editorial: Where open government isn’t open

Which is better; public speculation or facts?

Launch of Open Government Licence 3.0

D.C. Major Gray appoints open gov advisory group. But will it last?

Opinion: The BLM fails to provide public records

Watchdog Calls Out Garden Grove for Withholding Records

Open government group: FL Gov. Scott won’t commit to reversing practices in second term

Editorial: Consequences for violating the Freedom of Information Act