From Des Moines Register:
The Iowa House today approved a much-improved bill on transparency and open government than the one I wrote about in today’s column. The legislation, which creates a board to review complaints and enforce Iowa’s Open Meetings and Records Law, made significant strides today.
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From Atlanta Journal-Constitution:
Gov. Nathan Deal on Tuesday signed into law a sweeping revision of the state's Open Records Act that strengthens the public's access to records and documents.
Deal had planned to put the proposal into law following a speech to the Atlanta Press Club, but the official copy was inadvertently left at the Capitol. He affixed his signature once he returned to the Gold Dome.
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Read More… from Governor signs Open Records rewrite into law
A few open government and FOIA news items selected from many of interest that we might or might not have drawn attention to earlier:
Washington State Supreme Court rules accident reports are public record
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From Canon City Daily Record:
A dispute over legislation that would codify public access to voted ballots sheds light on shortcomings in state open records laws in the digital age. The flap centers on efforts by Marilyn Marks, an Aspen resident and founder of Citizen Center, to obtain e-mails between county clerks on Senate Bill 155.
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From NJ.com:
The Township Committee has adopted resolutions stating its opposition to pending legislation that would make changes to the Open Public Records Act. The committee adopted resolutions opposing Senate Bills 1451 and 1452. Committeeman Shaun Van Doren also composed a letter on the subject, but he will make same changes based on the discussion at the April 10 Township Committee meeting.
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Read More… from Tewksbury Township opposes tightening of Open Public Records Act
From Daily Chronicle:
When a majority of a quorum of DeKalb City Council members meet to discuss public business, proper notification is required to avoid an Open Meetings Act violation. Although five of the seven council members – a majority of a quorum – participated in the DeKalb Township annual meeting Tuesday, they did not violate the act, law experts said.
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Read More… from Experts say DeKalb aldermen did not violate Open Meetings Act at township meeting
From Safety Research & Strategies:
Safety Research & Strategies, a Massachusetts safety research firm that advocates for consumers on safety matters, has filed its third Freedom of Information Act lawsuit against the U.S. Department of Transportation alleging that the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has improperly withheld documents – this time related to in the Evenflo infant seat recall of 2008.
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From Washington Post:
In advance of next week’s hearing on whether a former University of Virginia climatologist’s e-mails are subject to public release, the Roanoke Times has published an interesting “point-counterpoint” debate on the topic.
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Read More… from Prince William climate change debate centers on FOIA
