public records – Page 6 – National Freedom of Information Coalition

Media companies begin appeal of N.J. public records ruling

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New Jersey's largest newspapers and some of the biggest U.S. media companies are challenging a 2013 ruling by a Bergen County judge that they say gives government agencies in New Jersey unprecedented power to deny requests for public records.

Experts call it one of the most consequential legal battles involving privacy rights and government transparency New Jersey has seen in years. A state appeals court heard oral arguments for nearly two hours Tuesday.

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Dallas County booking records can be kept secret

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A ruling from the Texas Attorney General's office has just made it more difficult to access information about the kinds of crimes undocumented immigrants have committed in Dallas County — and whether local officials turned those offenders over to federal authorities.

In a Nov. 13 ruling, the AG's office determined that because the Dallas County Sheriff's Office booking system is maintained for use by the court system, it is not subject to the Texas Public Information Act.

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Some Colorado counties charge thousands of dollars for public inspection of ballot records

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The public can inspect voted ballots in Colorado. So says a state Court of Appeals decision in 2011 and state legislation enacted the following year.

But some counties are making it prohibitively expensive for at least one election watchdog to obtain the records he says are needed to independently audit the accuracy of voting systems.

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Your rights, responsibilities when seeking public records in Texas

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If you’ve seen news reports on suspicious state contracts or chemical waste pits or officials’ text messages in the Waco biker shootout, you may notice a recurring theme: Government records obtained through the Texas Public Information Act.

Fortunately, our state’s public information law, created in the early 1970s, presumes government records are open unless a specific exemption in the law keeps the documents off limits.

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EDITORIAL: Massachusetts public records reform can’t wait

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A final redraft of a long-in-the-works bill to improve access to public records in Massachusetts could be introduced to the House floor soon. It's about time.

People connected to the process are saying the bill’s language will provide timely access while taking into account agency and municipal concerns over aggressive deadlines and limits to recouping costs. A bill to satisfy all sides?

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Biggest changes in public records, transparency may wait for 2017

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Oregon Gov. Kate Brown's promise to pass public records reforms next year — fallout from the scandal that toppled Gov. John Kitzhaber — seemed to take on new urgency when Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum appointed a task force last month to take up the fight.

But Rosenblum's announcement came with some fine print.

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Supporters of public records overhaul await Beacon Hill vote

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A coalition of public watchdog groups, civil rights advocates and Massachusetts newspaper publishers is calling for quick action on legislation aimed at overhauling a state public records law they say hasn't been updated in more than 40 years.

Momentum for a public records bill that appeared headed for a vote in the Legislature has slowed. At the end of September, House Speaker Robert DeLeo said he expected the Massachusetts House to vote on the measure within a week or two.

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Editorial: Pennsylvania House must fix the Senate public records bill

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There are a lot of problems with the latest attempt to update Pennsylvania’s Right to Know law, which the Senate unanimously passed on Wednesday. Fortunately, the House has a chance to fix the defects and make the open-records law stronger.

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City, county unveil vast amounts of public data for free – and here’s how to get to it

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App developers, researchers, and sleuths could find a treasure trove to mine for free.

On Thursday, the City of Pittsburgh, Allegheny County, and the University of Pittsburgh unveiled the Western Pennsylvania Regional Data Center — an open data website with 133 sets of local data related to the arts, education, and demographics, among other topics. Continue…
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CSU won’t try to change Colorado open records law

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Colorado State University won’t try to restrict public record access, after all.

While the CSU System General Counsel raised the idea of limiting applicability of the Colorado Open Records Act to Colorado residents only, the governing body for CSU doesn’t have any interest in lobbying to change that law, spokesman Mike Hooker said in an email. Continue…

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