In behind-the-scenes negotiations on a bill designed to make government more transparent in the digital age, Colorado Attorney General Cynthia Coffman’s office offered a series of amendments that could dramatically expand the types of records that can be hidden from public view.
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A Missouri judge ruled the state Corrections Department intentionally delayed fulfilling a Sunshine request over the source of execution drugs to avoid returning them and facing negative publicity.
"The Missouri Department of Corrections violated the public's trust, in both its plan to use questionably obtained drugs and by purposefully violating the Sunshine Law to cover up its scheme," American Civil Liberties Union of Missouri Executive Director Jeffrey Mittman said in a Monday statement touting the ruling.
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Read More… from Missouri judge says state knowingly violated Sunshine law
Some of the animal welfare documents that were abruptly purged from a Department of Agriculture database early this month were restored last week, days after animal rights groups filed a lawsuit to make the records public again.
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Read More… from Amid outcry, some animal welfare documents restored to USDA website
A Mid-Missouri judge this week ruled that a man who recently won a transparency lawsuit against a law enforcement narcotics group can amend his suit to include allegations that Audrain County’s former sheriff had improperly altered documents.
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Read More… from MO: Judge rules open records suit can be amended
Arkansas lawmakers are considering new secrecy provisions for the State Capitol Police, some attorney-client relationships and Arkansas Community Correction.
The Senate State Agencies and Governmental Affairs Committee approved the proposals Thursday, the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette reported. The bills are among at least 10 removing coverage of records under the Arkansas Freedom of Information Act.
Transparency concerns have been raised by the Arkansas Press Association, which represents the Democrat-Gazette and newspapers across the state.
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Read More… from Proposed bills offer secrecy provisions in Arkansas
North Hempstead residents can now precisely track how their tax dollars are spent, with the town’s recent launch of a comprehensive website showing years of its expenditures.
From auto equipment purchases to contracts awarded to vendors, residents can access online checkbooks dating from 2014 up to January 2017.
Town Supervisor Judi Bosworth said the website — northhempstead.com/opengov — is part of her administration’s ongoing effort to boost openness and transparency.
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Read More… from Long Island: N. Hempstead residents can view town expenditures on website
Plans are under way inside D.C. government to change the law in ways likely to disable the Office of Open Government (OOG). The D.C. Open Government Coalition testified February 23 at the annual performance oversight hearing on the Board of Ethics and Government Accountability (BEGA) that includes the OOG.
Proposals in the works at the board could harm the office, according to the Coalition’s government affairs committee chair, attorney Robert Becker. He reported on a text of a bill obtained by the Coalition and under consideration by D.C. officials.
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Read More… from DCOGC: Independence of D.C. Watchdog Office Threatened, Coalition Tells D.C. Council
Federal immigration agencies can request that local law enforcement hold individuals for 48 hours after taken into custody, if subject to deportation. Recently, the state supreme court ruled those immigration hold requests are exempt from public records law.
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Read More… from WI Bar: Deportation Hold Requests are Exempt from Wisconsin Public Records Law
Proposed last-minute changes to to Sen. John Kefalas' open records bill could remove swaths of currently available information from disclosure, open records advocates say.
The bill, which has been set for hearing twice and twice been delayed, will be heard at 1:30 p.m. Wednesday by the Senate's State, Veterans and Military Affairs Committee.
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Read More… from Colorado: Open records bill changes would limit access, advocates say
The American Civil Liberties Union of West Virginia filed the first of a series of Freedom Of Information Act requests Wednesday with the Elkins Police Department to investigate the former police chief's controversial memo. The memo referred to residents as "cockroaches" and read " I want them harassed if you know they are a cockroach!"
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Read More… from WV: ACLU sends FOIA to investigate Elkins Police ‘cockroach memo’
