As an attorney, you have a duty to do an adequate investigation before asserting any claim, but your investigation can’t intrude on others’ privacy rights. Getting public record information is one way to get what you need without a privacy problem. But what if the information isn’t available online or through a visit to a federal agency? Make a Freedom of Information Act request.
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Imagine that the governor is holding a series of secret closed-door negotiations with a company that could result in hundreds of millions of dollars in taxpayer expenses. Now imagine that the same company secretly meeting with the governor is also a campaign contributor. Also imagine that the Legislature is barred from changing the details of an agreement negotiated in secret with the governor and can only vote up or down on funding the final proposal.
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Read More… from Lift shroud of secrecy from employment contract talks
When it comes to open and transparent government aimed at serving the people, East Earl Township supervisors must not have gotten the memo.
Supervisors Earl Kreider, Joe Shriver and David Zimmerman have been running the government based on the idea that the less the citizens know about what is going on, the better. They have been good, in fact far too good, at operating behind closed doors.
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A federal judge today ordered the Department of Justice to hand over key opinions by the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court (also known as the “FISA court”) so the judge can directly review whether information about mass surveillance was improperly withheld from the public.
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Nearly every federal government agency uses geographic information system (GIS) technology to meet various mission goals. Agencies rely on GIS for asset management, citizen engagement, public policy, planning and analysis, disaster response, and much more.
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Good government groups are lambasting current regulations that govern the Freedom of Information Act and want the Justice Department to consider major changes.
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Read More… from Experts propose model to close loopholes in FOIA regulations
A bill making the University of Delaware and Delaware State University subject to more public scrutiny has been released from a House committee, but with an amendment that guts the intent of the bill and may even weaken existing open-government provisions.
The bill discussed Thursday revises Delaware’s Freedom of Information Act to remove an exemption for the two schools, which receive millions of dollars in taxpayer money each year but are mostly exempt from open records and open meetings laws.
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Read More… from Delaware bill eyes universities’ FOIA exemption
Congressman Ted Yoho (R-FL-03) offered an amendment to a bill that was accepted by voice, which would prohibit any money to be used to mandate any type of government GPS location device on personal vehicles.
The amendment was to H.R. 4745 – Transportation, Housing and Urban Development and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2015 (THUD), in which Yoho voted in favor of.
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Read More… from FL Congressman offers amendment to stop government from tracking private vehicles
Two years ago government watchdog Judicial Watch submitted a Freedom of Information Act request surrounding materials about Operation Fast and Furious to the Department of Justice. At the time, DOJ officials failed to respond, so Judicial Watch sued. Because of the ongoing conflict between the House Oversight Committee and the Department of Justice, a judge granted a brief stay preventing a FOIA lawsuit from moving forward. That stay was issued 18 months ago.
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Federal agencies should do more to cooperate with the government's Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) ombudsman, according to recommendations approved June 5 by the Administrative Conference of the United States (ACUS). The recommendations also called for the ombudsman, the Office of Government Information Services (OGIS), to continue efforts to assist people who make FOIA requests. The recommendation is a positive step for helping people access public information under FOIA.
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