Two years after Rhode Island revised its open records law, compliance with the new rules is spotty, enforcement is rare and a culture of indifference, ìif not outright hostility,î prevails in the state, a newly released report says.
[…]
Read More… from Report finds noncompliance with revised R.I. open records law
High school students and their teachers differ on which of the five freedoms guaranteed by the First Amendment are the most important, but speech and religion are by far the top finishers, according to a new survey.
Students, by 65 percent, say speech is the most important freedom guaranteed, while 25 percent of students say religion is the most important right. A plurality of 42 percent of teachers believe freedom of religion is most important, while 40 percent of teachers say speech is the most important right guaranteed under the First Amendment.
[…]
Getting ahead of pending legislation intended to enhance transparency at the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, the agency today adopted a freedom of information policy that will abide by the laws of New York State and New Jersey.
The Port Authority Board of Commissioners voted unanimously to approve the new policy during this afternoon's monthly meeting, which was held in Jersey City under the agency's new policy of rotating meeting locations.
[…]
Read More… from Port Authority vows to follow N.Y., N.J. public information laws
Despite having a new criminal subpoena in hand, Gov. Pat Quinn's administration dragged its feet in releasing the politically-sensitive public document — a delay one expert called a gaming of the state open-records laws that 'stinks'.
On Tuesday, the governor's office finally released the federal grand jury subpoena dated Aug. 27 that sought records related to Quinn's failed Neighborhood Recovery Initiative anti-violence program, but it did so only selectively.
[…]
Read More… from Expert: IL Gov. Quinn’s handling of request to release subpoena ‘stinks’
Today the group "Progress Michigan" plans to release documents they say shows conversations between Governor Rick Snyder's office and the Department of Corrections.
Group members say they obtained more than 100 pages through the "Freedom of Information Act." Governor Rick Snyder has been under pressure to end the state's contract with Aramark.
[…]
Read More… from Group To Release Documents On Aramark & State Prisons Contract
Our View: Public officials need to respect the freedom of access granted by the Oklahoma Open Records Act and honor their duty to fulfill such requests.
Freedom of Information laws are intended to allow the public access to records they have rights to review and posses. Additionally, the laws encourage bureaucratic transparency and accountability. These laws exist to ensure freedom of access to records and meetings that are public information. Naturally, we become suspicious when public officials try to skirt Freedom of Information laws and obscure requests.
[…]
Read More… from Freedom of Information laws a public atrocity
Republican Attorney General Candidate John Cahill criticized Attorney General Eric Schneiderman during a press conference in Albany last week for refusing to disclose information provided by his political consultants.
[…]
Read More… from NY AG candidate blasts incumbent for lack of transparency
Last month I received some great news. A report titled ìState Open Data Policies and Portalsî was released by the Washington, D.C.-based Center for Data Innovation and ranked Oklahoma as one of the top six top-scoring states for its open data policies.
This is just the latest in a series of national recognitions of the transparency advancement for which we have spent years working toward.
[…]
Read More… from Oklahoma transparency laws drawing national attention
Newspapers, government watchdog groups and open government advocates across the state of Georgia have cheered the recent decision of Forsyth County Superior Court requiring the city of Cumming and its mayor, Henry Ford Gravitt, to shell out $6,000 each for violations of the Georgia Open Meetings Act.
The prosecution of the city and mayor has been extolled as a victory for Attorney General Sam Olens. It has been a a victory for the blogger, Nydia Tisdale, whose rights to video tape a city council meeting were abridged.
[…]
Data.gov has taken open source to heart. Beyond just providing open data and open source code, the entire process involves open civic engagement. All team ideas, public interactions, and new ideas (from any interaction) are cross-posted and entered in Github. These are tracked openly and completed to milestones for full transparency. We also recently redesigned the website at Data.gov through usability testing and open engagement on Github.
[…]
