Michigan is making law enforcement agencies report more details of their civil asset forfeiture programs and making it a little bit harder for them keep property they confiscate from residents.
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Tag: Michigan
Michigan group says high fees used to conceal state records
Did a failed attempt by the Department of Treasury to redact part of an e-mail related to a Freedom of Information Act request expose a state government strategy of charging high fees to discourage requests for public information?
The liberal group Progress Michigan, which was quoted more than $52,000 for records it requested about communications with a state education adviser, says yes. Continue…
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Michigan: University plans release of course evaluation data
Engineering Prof. James Holloway, the vice provost for Global and Engaged Education, said Monday the University could implement plans to release course evaluation data as early as this semester.
Holloway’s announcement at Monday’s Senate Assembly Committee on University Affairs’ meeting came as a surprise to many of the committee’s members. Continue>>>
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Significant revisions to Michigan’s FOIA go into effect July 1
If there's something you want to know and it's considered public record, getting the information is now easier and cheaper than ever.
Significant revisions to Michigan's Freedom of Information Act went into full effect today. Continue>>>
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Michigan: Obtaining government documents is getting easier, county attorney says
ST. JOSEPH – Requesting government documents through Michigan's Freedom of Information Act is getting a lot freer, James McGovern, Berrien County's attorney, told county commissioners Thursday.
"They can't miss how easy it is to make a FOIA request," McGovern said of the new state law that went into effect this year making obtaining documents more convenient and more affordable.
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Michigan: #Hack4detroit Seeks to Improve City Services Through Open Data Portal
We started the week out talking about hackathons in Detroit, and we’ll finish the week the same way, although #hack4detroit has a twist: Participants are using the city of Detroit’s open data portal to create apps that will benefit city residents or help streamline operations.
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Michigan – Grand Haven Twp. prepares for FOIA changes
“The state Legislature made some changes to the Freedom of Information Act (at the end of 2014),” Township Manager Bill Cargo said. “These were the first major changes since the act was instituted.”
The impending changes include significant new requirements for municipalities and will change how the township responds to requests for information. According to Cargo, changes of this magnitude are unprecedented in FOIA’s nearly 40-year history.
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Editorial: Secrecy at the top of Michigan government?
If you are a local school board member, city councilor or county commissioner, all of your meetings, actions and records are subject to Michigan’s Freedom of Information Act (FOIA).
This series of laws has been on the books since 1977, designed to guarantee that the public has access to public records of government bodies at all levels in Michigan.
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Judge orders Oakley to pay in FOIA case, police reserve list to be released
Oakley's police department, ground zero for the controversy that's erupted in the small town of about 300, sat quiet Thursday night.
But a judge's order for the village to pay nearly $19,000 for attorney costs has one trustee speaking loud and clear.
"It's terrible; we ain't got that – we ain't got that money," Oakley Trustee Norm Wolfe said. Continue>>>
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Opinion: Ain’t no Sunshine (in Michigan)
What a terrible Sunshine Week.
Founded in 2002, Sunshine Week is celebrated each year in the interest of a simple philosophy: “Open government is good government.” Journalists, activists and supporters of government transparency use this week to commend the strides made for open government, criticize the backslides and lobby for more change.