open government – Page 10 – National Freedom of Information Coalition

Texas: Open-government advocates cheer bills passed by Legislature

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AUSTIN – A measure that would make private university police reports subject to Texas' open-government laws was one of a number of transparency measures approved by the Legislature this session.

Senate Bill 308, authored by Sen. John Whitmire, D-Houston, was filed in response to a student who was fatally shot by University of Incarnate Word police officers in San Antonio, and another incident at Rice University.

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Open-government advocates optimistic about Texas legislative session

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AUSTIN — Texans are likely to get greater access to campus police records and public meetings online.

But after a group secretly taped lawmakers in Austin, some are wary of legislation that could make it harder to record audio without the consent of all recorded.

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Two state agencies nullify open government laws

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In 2004, California voters overwhelmingly approved Proposition 59, one of the most far-reaching government openness laws in the nation. Its premise was that government agencies, when facing requests for official records, should err on the side of disclosure, not secrecy. The law requires laws to “be broadly interpreted to further the people’s right to access government information,” the Legislative Analyst’s Office noted.

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Editorial: ‘Working groups’ an affront to Illinois open government

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Everyone in Springfield seems to know how to spell “transparency,” but hardly anyone seems to know what the word means.

That sad fact recently reared its head when officials in Gov. Bruce Rauner's administration said they wouldn't reveal who is involved in a series of high-level talks about some of the governor's most prized pet issues, ranging from his controversial plan to allow local right-to-work zones to an overhaul of state spending.

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Oil, gas pipeline information could become secret under Michigan bill

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A bill introduced in the Michigan legislature seeks to keep information secret about oil and gas pipelines, high-powered electrical lines and other key energy infrastructure.

The bill from Republican state Rep. Kurt Heise of Plymouth would exempt from disclosure under the state's Freedom of Information Act any information about existing and proposed energy infrastructure that "could be useful to a person in planning an attack," the Detroit Free Press reported.

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L.A. County launches open data website

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Los Angeles County unveiled an open data website last week that provides public access to millions of county records.

The county is the latest municipality to join an open data movement to make government records easily accessible to the public online. The City of Los Angeles launched a similar data portal in 2013.

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In Mass., public financial disclosure reports are not so public

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At least 29 states post financial disclosure reports for lawmakers and other public officials on the Web, making it easy to see their investments and potential sources of conflicts with a few clicks. Most other states make the filings readily available for free to those who show up in person.

But not Massachusetts, which has set up a virtual gantlet to see the filings, even though the whole point of collecting the financial information is to inform the public.

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Florida Lawmakers pass 13 open government exemptions

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Florida lawmakers approved 13 new open-government exemptions and re-enacted seven existing exemptions during the annual legislative session that ended last week, according to the First Amendment Foundation, which tracks the issues.

The bills included exemptions (SB 200 and SB 7040) for:

– Email addresses held by county tax collectors and the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles. Continue>>>
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Report: Memphis Open Records Policies Need Work

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Deficiencies in the city’s public records process stem from inefficient processes, a lack of understanding of open records laws by citizens and city employees, and “a growing distrust between the public records staff at various levels of city government and the local media,” according to a new report.

In 2009, Memphis Mayor A C Wharton issued an executive order to make city government more transparent, "based on the understanding that the city of Memphis belongs to the public and to achieve the open government we desire and the public deserves."

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Opinion: Slamming a door in the face of open government

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Shortly after his re-election to a second term last November, Connecticut Gov. Dannel P. Malloy joined a number of state officials and legislative leaders in signing a Freedom of Information Pledge for open government.

This document affirms that “a successful democracy requires open, transparent, and accountable government,” and those who penned their names promised to support the independence of the state FOI Commission.

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