EDMOND — Eight candidates for Oklahoma governor will debate the First Amendment and government transparency at the Freedom of Information Oklahoma Gubernatorial Debate from 5 to 7 p.m. Saturday on the campus of the University of Central Oklahoma. The FOI-O annual awards will be presented during a break that evening. The debate will be in […]
Aurora has agreed to revise its policies on the disclosure of police internal affairs records as part of a lawsuit settlement, but a new court case alleges the city wrongly withheld body-worn camera footage related to a traffic accident involving Denver Police Chief Robert White. The Denver Police Protective Association, which represents Denver officers, sued […]
Online government spending transparency continues to improve, but many states still struggle to meet 21st century standards, according to Following the Money 2018: How the 50 States Rate in Providing Online Access to Government Spending Data. This is the eighth report of its kind produced by the U.S. Public Interest Research Group Education Fund and […]
Read More… from U.S. PIRG Education Fund Press Release: Following the Money 2018
Lawmakers advance bill to open records on completed police internal affairs investigations By Jeffrey A. Roberts CFOIC Executive Director A bill to require public disclosure of police internal affairs records cleared its first legislative hurdle Tuesday on a 7-4 vote in the House Judiciary Committee. House Bill 18-1404, introduced by Democratic Rep. James Coleman of […]
OKANOGAN – The Washington Coalition for Open Government presented Okanogan County Watch with a Key Award for advocacy of open government in Okanogan County. The award was presented at Tuesday, April 10 at the county commissioners’ hearing room in Okanogan. The Washington Coalition for Open Government (WCOG) is an independent non-partisan non-profit organization, with membership […]
Read More… from Okanogan Watch honored by Washington Coalition for Open Government
A new staff in the office of the legislative auditor, guided by a 16-member advisory board, could begin as early as this fall to take stock of the city’s education system, under a bill introduced April 10 by Council Member Mary Cheh (D-Ward 3) and eight cosponsors. The unit, to be called the D.C. Education […]
Two former Georgia Attorneys General, both known for advocating for the right to access public records, have been hired to represent the City of Atlanta in civil and criminal cases involving alleged violations of the Georgia Open Records Act. One of them, Sam Olens, a Republican, revamped the open records law in 2012, making penalties for noncompliance […]
Read More… from Two GA AGs known for transparency hired in Atlanta open records cases
In a definitive win for open records advocates, the state attorney general’s office has found Kentucky State Police violated the state public records law by denying Courier Journal requests for the agency’s database of arrest and traffic citations. The agency offered several reasons why it thought the database was exempt from disclosure. In addition to […]
BOSTON — Deliberations on the $41 billion state budget are held in secret. Committee hearings and party caucuses on bills affecting millions of people are closed to the press and public. Requests for documents and information are routinely denied. Massachusetts is the only state where the Legislature, governor’s office and judiciary all claim to be […]
Read More… from Massachusetts advocates push to open Legislature’s records
Proposed legislation that would bar the public in Colorado — on privacy grounds — from viewing autopsy reports on the deaths of minors is prompting resistance from open-records advocates who say it will make it harder to uncover mistakes in the child-protection system. The opponents, including media representatives, point to past reporting projects that relied […]
