A letter from government transparency organizations urges the Uniform Law Commission to prioritize the public’s right to know when it studies the redaction of personal information from public records. The June 17 letter was written by Sarah Brewerton-Palmer, legislative chair of the Georgia First Amendment Foundation, and was edited and endorsed by Todd Fettig, the […]
Tag: D.C. Open Government Coalition
DCOGC: BEGA amendment will hinder public education advocacy
As a parent raising children in a city whose education system is ruled by the scandal du jour, I worry about a proposed amendment which will further entrench us into a culture of darkness. The D.C. Council’s “BEGA Amendment Act of 2018” will end the independent nature of the Office of Open Government. D.C. residents risk losing […]
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DC FOIA In Action: Record Requests Proving Useful In Reporting and Civic Action
Public records obtained under the D.C. Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) have again been useful in reporting and advocacy in recent weeks. Police stops. Black Lives Matter and other community groups asked the Metropolitan Police Department for records of officers’ stops of people in the street. Such research has shed light on biased policing in other […]
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Coalition Asks D.C. AG and IG to Review Actions Against Open Government
Citing “clear misinterpretations of law” in actions taken to remove the Office of Open Government director, advertise the position with incorrect limitations on its authority, and appoint an interim director without any lawful basis, D.C. Open Government Coalition president Thomas Susman has written D.C. Attorney General Karl Racine requesting appropriate action “to ensure D.C. law […]
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D.C. Transparency Watch: Education Data To Get New Attention By Independent Research Unit
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 […]
D.C. Council Budget Hearing Ignores Troubling Developments Affecting the Office of Open Government
The D.C. Open Government Coalition testified Friday (13) against proposed budget cuts for the Office of Open Government and in favor of a separate board of directors. OGC Government Affairs chair Bob Becker reviewed these and other problems but only the budget came up in questions, and that only briefly. The hearing was before the […]
D.C. to Conceal Charter School Details As Comprehensive Facility Modernization Planning Begins
A frustrated D.C. Council in 2016 ordered a new analysis of school-by-school enrollment, growth plans and needed building upgrades. The dream — to end years of obscure renovation decisions by writing into law the data required, the priorities to rank needs, and plenty of public participation. Results were due in fall 2017 to help with […]
FOIA Follies – Questionable D.C. Denials
A common call for help to the Coalition is from those denied a record they asked for under the D.C. public records law, the Freedom of Information Act or FOIA. D.C. government has no check on the accuracy of FOIA decisions, leaving it to the requestor to speak up if there seems to be a […]
D.C. Health Decisions Behind Closed Doors: What Are the United Medical Center Trustees Hiding?
This week the board that oversees the District’s only public hospital, United Medical Center, met for a while in public but then pulled down the curtain and went out of sight. Maybe if your multi-million dollar business had only a few days cash left in its kitty, you’d hide, too. What you couldn’t hear or […]
Advocates press D.C. Council to restrict access to some court records
Former prisoners joined with advocates of criminal justice reform Thursday to back three D.C. Council bills that would make it easier for people arrested by police to shield their court records from the public. The proposed legislation would automatically seal some court records of people who have been arrested but were never charged or convicted […]
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