National Freedom of Information Coalition
Protecting Your Right to Open Government

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Connecticut Court urged to order release of Newtown shooter’s belongings

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HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) — A newspaper lawyer urged the Connecticut Supreme Court on Thursday to allow reporters to examine some of the Newtown school killer’s belongings, saying information on a possible motive for the 2012 massacre of 20 children and six adults is of high public interest and concern. The requested materials include a spreadsheet […]

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MI: New Buffalo plans to discontinue livestreaming public meetings

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NEW BUFFALO — In the wake of a brief Feb. 20 regular meeting of the New Buffalo City Council, it was learned that the city had decided to end the online livestreaming and video archiving of its public meetings. City Clerk Lori Vander Clay said the video-system contractor, Granicus, provided the cameras and other components […]

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OH: A proposed bill would restrict public access to visual sex crime evidence

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Ohio Rep. Wes Retherford’s bill designed to protect a crime victim’s rights could soon be headed for an Ohio House vote. The bill, called the Victim’s Protection and Privacy Act, would prevent photos, videos and images of a victim of a sexually oriented crime from being accessed via a public records request. The bill was […]

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Administrator says info on Cleveland’s public records policies isn’t for public consumption

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CLEVELAND, Ohio – A public records administrator for the city claims in a sworn statement that information about how the city handles record requests and about how long it takes to turner over records is confidential – an assertion that an expert in public-records law describes as “laughable.”  The statement by Kimberly Roberson, who has […]

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PA: Report finds most agencies field few open records requests

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HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) – Most agencies receive few or no requests for records under Pennsylvania’s public access law and only a fraction of them are appealed, according to a report on law’s costs released Tuesday. A drastic revision of Pennsylvania Right-to-Know Law was enacted a decade ago, leading to expanded access and a new set […]

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DE: FOIA access to emails resisted by Newwark councilmembers

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A proposed policy aimed at ensuring government transparency and standardizing the process of releasing council members emails under the Freedom of Information Act met with fierce resistance from several council members Monday. “I have so much to say about this,” Councilman Stu Markham said, adding he has several concerns, including privacy issues for constituents who […]

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Editorial: Effort to strengthen Missouri’s open records and meetings laws deserves Legislature’s action

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Violating Missouri’s public records and Sunshine Laws could become more expensive, and even bring criminal penalties, if legislation introduced in the Missouri House last week passes. We hope it does, but the odds against passage appear to be long. Bills introduced this late in the legislative session have a hard time getting committee votes and […]

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N.J. town wants to restrict recording of its meetings — even threatening jail time

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A Warren County town wants to restrict how residents record its meetings. But an open-government group is concerned the proposed rules — which could include a hefty fine or jail time for violators — will chill all forms of public participation. If enacted, the ordinance being considered by the Mansfield Township Committee (which you can […]

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