National Freedom of Information Coalition
Protecting Your Right to Open Government

Author: NFOIC

Profile picture of NFOIC
Website
https://nfoic.org

Posts by NFOIC

Time for Legislature to live by open government rules

Posted on

With policy cutoff behind us, the list of living and walking dead bills (nothing is really dead till sine die) is being compiled. Among the proposals that didn’t even receive a hearing, however, is a bill based on WPC’s recommendation for the Legislature to truly provide Washingtonians the opportunity to participate in the legislative debate while also ensuring lawmakers live by the same open government rules the rest of the state’s public officials operate under.

As noted by Peter Callaghan of The Tacoma News Tribune:

[…]

Read More… from Time for Legislature to live by open government rules

Group opposes Supreme Court review of Chancery Court’s arbitration forum

Posted on

An open government organization that has waged a successful legal challenge to the Delaware Court of Chancery’s secret arbitration forum is opposing a U.S. Supreme Court review of the case, saying it doesn’t rise to the highest court’s level.

[…]

Read More… from Group opposes Supreme Court review of Chancery Court’s arbitration forum

Esri To Enable Thousands Of Government Agencies To Open GIS Data To The Public

Posted on

A debate in the technology world that's been simmering for years, about whether mapping vendor Esri will allow public geographic information systems (GIS) to access government customers' data, finally has an answer: The mapping software giant will take an unprecedented step, enabling thousands of government customers around the U.S. to make their data on the ArcGIS platform open to the public with a click of a mouse.

[…]

Read More… from Esri To Enable Thousands Of Government Agencies To Open GIS Data To The Public

Wisconsin legislator nixes UW record exemptions

Posted on

The head of the state Assembly’s colleges committee said Monday he won’t allow the panel to vote on a bill that would largely keep University of Wisconsin System research activities secret, defusing a looming fight between the system and open government advocates.

Rep. Mike Kuglitsch, R-New Berlin, introduced a bill last week that would exempt all materials tied to any commercial, scientific or technical research from the state’s open records law before the research is published.

[…]

Read More… from Wisconsin legislator nixes UW record exemptions

Hawaii launches “WHO’S YOUR LEGISLATOR?” apps

Posted on

The State of Hawaii has launched two applications, “Your 2014 Hawaii State Senate” and “Your 2014 Hawaii State House”, as a response to requests from the members of the public during an Open Government workshop at the Hawaii Digital Government Summit last year.

Sen. Jill Tokuda, who led the breakout group on legislative information, said workshop participants were very interested in an app to help citizens find their legislative representatives.

[…]

Read More… from Hawaii launches “WHO’S YOUR LEGISLATOR?” apps

Nicholas Co. (W VA) Commission gets lesson in ethics & open meetings law

Posted on

Public business must be carried out in the open. That’s self-evident, but it still does not always happen.

The latest example of the failure of a local government in West Virginia to be open about the public’s business comes from the Nicholas County Commission.

Last August, the Commission hired Roger Beverage as the county administrator at a salary of $60,000 a year. A local citizen, Tim Clifford, challenged the hiring, claiming the Commission acted illegally.

[…]

Read More… from Nicholas Co. (W VA) Commission gets lesson in ethics & open meetings law

Getting Ready for Sunshine Week

Posted on

Sunshine Week is less than six weeks away! Agencies, what are you doing to prepare?

Last year, Archivist of the United States, David Ferriero sent a message during Sunshine Week to National Archives’ staff reminding them that FOIA is everyone’s responsibility and responding to access requests doesn’t rest solely on the agency’s FOIA and archival staff. The message also stressed creating a team culture for responding to FOIA requests by keeping open lines of communication between program offices and FOIA offices.

[…]

Read More… from Getting Ready for Sunshine Week

Peace Corps for Geeks’ in Lexington to focus on more effective, interactive city

Posted on

Three fellows from Code for America – the “Peace Corps for Geeks” – arrived in Lexington today to begin a 10-month partnership focused on improving neighborhood quality of life through more effective and interactive city government.

Winning a highly competitive selection process, Lexington is one of just 10 governments nationwide to get the opportunity to participate in Code for America this year.

[…]

Read More… from Peace Corps for Geeks’ in Lexington to focus on more effective, interactive city