open records – Page 12 – National Freedom of Information Coalition

Stamford City officials, lawmakers to get sunshine law training

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A state open-records expert will come to train city officials on freedom of information laws in June, following a complaint brought against the city by the head of the Republican Town Committee.

The RTC chairwoman, Eva Maldonado, recently withdrew a complaint to the state Freedom of Information Commission against the city that stemmed from a meeting involving deliberations around whether to allow an off-track betting parlor downtown.

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SCSU panel evades FOIA with email, phone vote

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A South Carolina State University board committee's recent meeting to approve an organizational structure for the institution was illegal, says Bill Rogers, executive director of the South Carolina Press Association.

The university was nearing the March 13 deadline to hand in documents to the Southern Association of Schools and Colleges and an approved organizational structure was part of the package required by the accrediting agency.

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Bill would strip universities of their FoIA exemptions

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Thursday was the first day in more than a month lawmakers could file bills, as the General Assembly has been on a six-week recess.

In advance of the session set to resume Tuesday, several items came in Thursday afternoon.
House Bill 42, sponsored by Rep. John Kowalko, D-Newark, removes the Freedom of Information Act exemption from the state’s two main universities.

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University declines to estimate timeline for FOIA documents

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The University has yet to release dozens of documents related to the U.S. Department of Education’s ongoing Title IX investigation of the University, which were requested and paid for in part by The Michigan Daily over two months ago.

The Daily made a request to the University in December under the purview of the state’s Freedom of Information Act, and paid one of two $445 fees in January for the collection of documents related to sexual misconduct — including written complaints, e-mails from administrators and witness statements, among other documents.

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New Players Replacing Newspapers in Seeking Government Info

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Newspapers were once the dominant force in dislodging documents and other records from reluctant federal government agencies, but a new crop of media players, advocacy groups and corporate interests now drive the release of information.

The Freedom of Information Act of 1966 was first envisioned as a tool for traditional media to seek documents, data and information they deemed important to public interest. It also was meant to allow ordinary Americans ( http://bit.ly/1DcaxxM ) to seek information from the federal government about themselves.

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Open records ensure transparency in government action

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Last month was open records month, but that doesn't mean you can't still go and view them.

In Iowa, most government records are open to the public.

For city records, you can go to the city clerk. Continue>>>

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FOIA to guide vetting of Clinton’s emails

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The Obama administration said Friday it will apply the legal provisions of the Freedom of Information Act to determine what parts of Hillary Rodham Clinton’s official emails when she was secretary of state will be released publicly from her private account. The law contains nine exemptions to censor or withhold parts of records.

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Private Email Use a Source of Friction in Many Statehouses

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The types of transparency questions surrounding Hillary Rodham Clinton's use of personal email to conduct business while secretary of state have led in recent years to access fights in state capitals throughout the country.

Governors and other elected officials routinely use private emails, laptops and cellphones for government business, a popular strategy that sometimes helps them avoid public scrutiny of their actions.

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Editorial: Bills are an assault on Iowa’s public records law

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Almost seven weeks into the legislative session, no fewer than 25 bills have been introduced that would affect open meetings, open records or public notice advertising in Iowa.

The bill that has received the most attention is one being fast-tracked that would seal data on Iowa's concealed weapons permit holders. But other bills are lurking in the wings that also would erode openness in our state's government.

Among them:

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Why open records laws may not apply to all of Hillary Clinton’s State Dept.-era e-mails

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Can open records laws be used to access all of the e-mails sent by Hillary Clinton during her time as secretary of state?

A new court ruling this week suggests: probably not.

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