Proposition 42, on the ballot June 4, will amend the state Constitution to assure local governments — cities, counties, school boards, etc. — are legally bound to observe open-government requirements. If you prefer transparency to secrecy in your city or county government, the choice is clear: Vote for Prop 42.
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Read More… from Peter Scheer: All levels of government must be transparent, so yes on (CA) Prop 42
The key to our watchdog work — shining a light on government and holding public officials accountable — comes down to a single word: Transparency.
In our world it means relatively easy access to public information — documents and records on how government employees spend our tax dollars and make their policy decisions.
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Wyoming ranks among the worst states for government transparency, according to the president of the Society of Professional Journalists.
David Cuillier, director of the University of Arizona School of Journalism, is one of about a half-dozen researchers who study public and press access to government information nationally and internationally.
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Read More… from In terms of transparency, Wyoming is among the worst
A new report out from the National Association of State Chief Information Officers (NASCIO) shows that some progress is being made on its 2009 call for governments to more fully embrace open data. Authors note that state and local governments have, in large part, embraced open data policy and are helping to drive government toward a data driven democracy.
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Florida Gov. Rick Scott (R) has spent nearly $400,000 in taxpayer dollars defending his various drug testing schemes, the American Civil Liberties Union said this week.
The Florida government started making welfare applicants and state workers pee in cups to prove they weren't on drugs in 2011, only to have both programs quickly halted by federal courts on constitutional grounds. In response to a records request from the Florida ACLU, the Scott administration disclosed it has spent $381,654 appealing the unfavorable rulings.
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More than a year ago, state Rep. Mike Dovilla, R-Berea, and Ohio Treasurer Josh Mandel proposed the establishment of an “online checkbook” for the state of Ohio. Once up and running, a database maintained by the treasurer’s office would allow anyone to go online to see just what the state was paying for.
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Read More… from ‘Online checkbook’ would help Ohioans monitor state spending
The Genoa Township-based Brain Injury Association of Michigan will not back down from its demand that catastrophic-injury-fee data be made public, despite an unfavorable ruling last week, an association official said.
The Michigan Court of Appeals last week ruled that the Michigan Catastrophic Claims Association, created under the state’s no-fault insurance law, should remain exempt from the state Freedom of Information Act.
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Read More… from Group keeps up fight to disclose Mich. driver fees
Before they headed back to Raleigh for the short session, lawmakers predicted the legislature would devote its time this year to The Three E's — education, environment, economy.
We'd like to add another "E" to the list — employees, as in government employees. North Carolina falls short on legislation related to workers employed by you, the public. Lawmakers could remedy the situation by passing The Government Transparency Act.
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Read More… from Add transparency to government employee records
Before heading back to Raleigh for the short session, lawmakers predicted the legislature would devote its time this year to The Three E’s – education, environment, economy.
We’d like to add another “E” to the list – employees, as in government employees.
North Carolina falls short on legislation related to workers employed by you, the public. Lawmakers could remedy the situation by passing The Government Transparency Act.
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Read More… from Editorial: Government Transparency Act: Its time has come
For decades Vermont has been at the bottom of the list of states for the public’s right to know the truth about government operations, records and meetings.
Two years ago, with the strong support of Gov. Peter Shumlin, Secretary of State Jim Condos and others, the legislature passed a new public records law that improved public access to government documents. Since then, the state has seen steady improvements in its rankings for open government.
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Read More… from Vermont’s open meetings work is not finished
