National Freedom of Information Coalition
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Tag: Iowa Freedom of Information Council

University of Iowa failed to open letter from Freedom of Information Council

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University of Iowa officials say they weren't intentionally ignoring a letter from the Iowa Freedom of Information Council.

It's just that no one had gotten around to opening the letter until last weekend.

In a letter dated Dec. 30 and sent to the new university president, FOI Council Executive Director Randy Evans raised concerns about UI's refusal to release documents related to work done for the university by a company owned by former Iowa Republican Party Chairman Matt Strawn.

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EDITORIAL: End secrecy with lawmakers’ trips

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During the legislative session and when lawmakers are not in session, the Legislatureís website at legis.sd.gov provides a wealth of information about proposed laws, committee hearings and votes. But the website is only valuable if information that the public has a right to know is made available.

Despite claims by lawmakers and state government officials that South Dakota is taking great strides toward transparency, much of what public officials and elected representatives are up to remains hidden.

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Iowa’s largest paper tries to shift the state’s culture toward transparency

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In its own polite, Midwestern fashion, The Des Moines Register is mad as heck and is not going to take it anymore. After Iowa officials refused to release records showing alleged abuses by state employees, the paper is pursuing dual lawsuits to force the records into public view. In one case, the Register is even suing the state’s new public information board, formed expressly to address years of complaints about records transparency.

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City officials may be financially liable in open meetings lawsuit

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Clinton city (IA) officials and former city officials involved in a lawsuit filed by a citizen’s group over closed meeting records are being advised they could be personally liable if there are any penalties or attorney’s fees levied in the case.

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Iowa Freedom of Information Council: Iowa more open with public information

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From press-citizen.com: The Iowa Freedom of Information Council released its annual “State of Freedom of Information in Iowa” report at its annual business meeting Thursday in Iowa City, detailing a slew of public information developments over the last year.

Most notably, the Iowa Public Information Board began full operations in July. The board meets monthly to review complaints from citizens who say their requests for public information have been wrongly denied.

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‘Walking quorums’ block Iowa government openness

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From Press-citizen.com:

During the Sept. 18 open government workshop with the Iowa Newspaper Association, local citizens learned much about how to use the state’s public records and open meetings laws to hold their officials accountable. But the existing laws have one major weakness: they still allow circumvention through a process called “walking quorums.”

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Iowa View: Private, public matters not easy to separate

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Opinion from The Des Moines Register:

I was at a dinner party not long after the scandal erupted over former Des Moines schools Superintendent Nancy Sebring’s emails. At one point, the hostess turned to me and asked, “So, why should government emails be public?”

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