From PBA.org:
The Georgia chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union, along with some immigrants’ rights groups, has filed a “Freedom of Information Act” request with Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
The request asks for information related to two immigration enforcement programs in Georgia. Azadeh Shashahani, with the Georgia ACLU, says they want information about Secure Communities and 287 (g).
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Read More… from ACLU, Others File FOIA Request with Immigration Agency
From The Harvard Crimson:
The Harvard Library took another step toward making research materials and library resources more accessible when it announced yesterday that it will make more than 12 million bibliographic records for a wide range of materials—including books, images, videos, and manuscripts—available to the public.
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Read More… from Harvard Library Will Make 12 Million Records Available to the Public
From TheHawkEye.com:
The Iowa Senate unanimously approved an overhaul of the state's open meetings and records law Monday in a plan designed to offer greater public access to government.
The plan now goes to Gov. Terry Branstad, who has been supportive of the concept but hasn't signed off on details. The proposal comes after years of debate about enforcing laws giving the public access to government meetings and records.
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From DesMoinesRegister.com:
Iowa is getting a new state agency dedicated to enforcement of open government.
The Senate on Monday approved the bill, Senate File 430, on a 49-0 vote, sending the legislation to Gov. Terry Branstad, who championed the bill as one of his top legislative priorities this year.
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From Topeka Capital-Journal:
Interim city manager Dan Stanley sent Shawnee County District Attorney Chad Taylor a letter Wednesday asking him to investigate whether the board of directors for the Topeka Metropolitan Transit Authority recently violated the Kansas Open Meetings Act.
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From HeraldOnline:
The South Carolina House has approved a bill strengthening the state's open records law. The bill approved Thursday limits how much public bodies can charge for copies of documents and requires them to respond more quickly. An amendment also removes legislators' exemption from the law.
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Read More… from SC House approves strengthening open records 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:
Jessica Dorrell, Bobby Petrino Scandal Shows Power Of FOIA
Bobby Petrino is just the latest Arkansas coach to reveal a bit too much on a state issued cell phone. Petrino was dismissed by Arkansas athletic director Jeff Long on before his phone records became available, but the revealing records won't make it any easier for him to land his next job.
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From Baylor Lariat:
Difficulties in getting information from government sources shouldn’t scare reporters off from following their stories, Hadassah Schloss, Cost Rules Administrator for the Open Records Division of the Office of the Attorney General of Texas, told students at Baylor’s journalism awards banquet Tuesday.
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Read More… from State employee recognized for First Amendment defense
From Press-Citizen:
You think a government board is trying to skirt the open meetings law by recessing for hours or days at a time, rather than posting the time and location for a new meeting 24 hours in advance. What do you do?
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