government transparency – Page 5 – National Freedom of Information Coalition

Bradley Manning sentenced to 35 years in prison

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From The Washington Post: A military judge on Wednesday morning sentenced Army Pfc. Bradley Manning to 35 years in prison for leaking hundreds of thousands of classified documents to the anti-secrecy group WikiLeaks.

Manning, 25, was convicted last month of multiple charges, including violations of the Espionage Act for copying and disseminating the documents while serving as an intelligence analyst at a forward operating base in Iraq. He faced up to 90 years in prison.

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Ability to police U.S. spying program limited, says FISA court chief judge

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From the Washington Post: The chief judge of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court said the court lacks the tools to independently verify how often the government’s surveillance breaks the court’s rules that aim to protect Americans’ privacy. Without taking drastic steps, it also cannot check the veracity of the government’s assertions that the violations its staff members report are unintentional mistakes.

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Sen. Feinstein wants to limit who can be a journalist

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From Watchdog.org: The most recent congressional threat to the free press in the United States comes from California Democrat U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein.

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Seattle-area Housing Authority institutes transparency reforms

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Settlement in Knight FOI Fund case resolves tenant’s open meeting complaint, but public records issues are still pending.

COLUMBIA, Mo. (August 6, 2013) – A public housing agency serving suburban Seattle, Wash., will institute a sweeping series of transparency measures as a result of a lawsuit made possible by the inspired persistence of an engaged public housing resident and a litigation grant made under the Knight FOI Fund.

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Federal food stamp program lacks transparency

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The lack of transparency regarding the federal food stamp program, known as known as "SNAP," short for Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, was the subject of this strong column by writers Felice Freyer and Irene Wielawski published in today's Los Angeles Times. NFOIC executive director Kenneth Bunting was one of the signers of the letter to Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack that is referenced in the column.

So far, there has been no answer or response to that April 3 letter.

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NEFAC open government news for July 2013

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From New England First Amendment Coalition: The NEFAC Report — New England's monthly right-to-know dispatch.

This month:

Electronic Chatter Among Officials at Public Meetings Raises Issues of Transparency:

NASHUA, N.H. – When officials in Nashua came up with an idea to equip the city's elected leaders with electronic tablets at public meetings to save costs on paper copies of documents, it seemed like a decent idea.

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Tax writers promise 50 years of secrecy for senators’ suggestions

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From The Hill: The Senate’s top tax writers have promised their colleagues 50 years worth of secrecy in exchange for suggestions on what deductions and credits to preserve in tax reform.

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Mackinac Center, ACLU officials push for greater government transparency

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From MLive.com: Improving local and state government transparency was the driving focus of a Wednesday discussion sponsored by a well-known conservative think tank.

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“FOIA Terrorist” Jason Leopold shares his transparency secrets

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From MuckRock: Jason Leopold has used the Freedom of Information Act to break a number of major stories, from the drugging of Department of Defense detainees to the Biblical justifications the Air Force used for nuclear war to a drawn-out battle with the FBI over Occupy Wall Street documents.

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Pillars of secret government stand as vows to make government more accountable are put to test

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From The Washington Post: WASHINGTON — It’s as if the United States has two governments, one open and one very much not. President Barack Obama leads both, trying not to butt heads with himself.

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