National Freedom of Information Coalition
Protecting Your Right to Open Government

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Voice of the Free Press: When it comes to open government, appearance matter

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The charge that South Burlington failed to publicly announce a gathering of a quorum of city councilors underscores the need for public officials to be far more aware of appearances.

The open meeting controversy brewing in the City Council also offers a cautionary tale for local politicians who must operate in a hyper-partisan environment.

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ONA: Open records ruling a major setback

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Two Ohio Supreme Court decisions denying attorney fees to a woman who fought the city of South Euclid for public records represent major setbacks to the cause of open government in Ohio, according to the Ohio Newspaper Association.

“This is an egregious case,” said Dennis Hetzel, executive director of the ONA. “The city stonewalled the citizen requesting the information for months, and she even had to get an accountant to show that records the city claimed it didn’t have really existed.”

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Editorial: Rare praise for state government

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Chances are a new initiative by Lt. Gov. Sheila Simon won’t make tax time any easier, but it will be more interesting. Starting now, those who file state taxes online will have the chance to see where those tax dollars are going. A receipt will break down how much money is going to which state programs.


Concerned about public safety? You’ll find about $41.07 of every $1,000 in taxes goes toward that purpose. From pensions ($145.02) to schools ($237.44) and beyond, expenditures are detailed in both a chart and table.

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Editorial: Alabama jumped the gun on Sunshine Week. And that’s just fine by me.

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What’s Sunshine Week, you ask?

The journalism associations behind the mid-March event describe Sunshine Week as “a national initiative to promote a dialogue about the importance of open government and freedom of information.” Sunshine is shorthand for the open-meetings and open-records laws that guarantee a governing body is operating in the open.

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Housing Authority hands critic big bill for photocopies

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The Saratoga Springs Housing Authority may have hit on a novel way to get back at its critics — a hit in their wallets.

John Kaufmann, one of the housing authority’s most persistent critics, was recently hit with a bill for $394.25, after the SSHA responded voluminously to what he thought was a reasonable Freedom of Information Law request for documents.

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In UK, Open Data is putting fear into local government

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In recent years, the central government in the UK has been involved in pushing an open data agenda, not only on its home turf, but also globally through the Open Government Partnership of which it was one of the eight founding members. The idea is to create governments that are more open, accessible and accountable by giving the public access to a vast array of datasets that are downloadable and reusable.

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Clinton White House documents released

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More than 3,500 pages of previously secret Clinton White House documents made public Friday showed that the more things change, the more they stay the same. Some of the confidential memos, notes and other papers released by the National Archives referred to technological advances of the times, such as the 1995 memo that suggested then first lady Hillary Clinton use the Internet to speak to young women because it "has become very popular."

Others detailed political battles over health care reform that sounded like today's headlines.

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House unanimously passes FOIA bill

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The House on Tuesday unanimously passed a bill that would make Freedom of Information requests easier with potentially faster response times.

H.R. 1211, the FOIA Oversight and Implementation Act of 2014 was co-sponsored by House Oversight and Government Reform Committee Chairman Rep. Darrell Issa (R-Calif.) and ranking member Rep. Elijah Cummings (D-Md.), and puts into action an executive memorandum from President Barack Obama that calls on all agencies to have a "presumption of disclosure" to all FOIA decisions.

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Local Canadian Police agency defends FOI exemption

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Putting Saskatchewan's municipal police under freedom of information and privacy legislation would be a pricey proposition for the Regina Police Service, according to its chief.

It would require hiring at least another staff member, and the money is something Chief Troy Hagen says could be better spent elsewhere.

"It wouldn't surprise me if this position certainly would be probably pushing six figures," said Hagen.

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