A day before the Nevada Legislature convened for a special budget session, Kelly Crompton, a lobbyist for the city of Las Vegas, boarded a Southwest flight and headed north to Carson City. Air travel amid the coronavirus pandemic felt wrong, Compton wrote in a Twitter post . But as a consolation, she observed that half […]
Read More… from Special session raises coronavirus concern in Nevada capital
This, like other serious violations of Kentucky’s open government laws, might have gone unchallenged. Citizens, as well as access advocates have learned to pick their battles. But it is worthy of note when the Kentucky General Assembly ignores a law it enacted in March, 2020, and that it expects all other Kentucky agencies to strictly […]
Read More… from Kentucky General Assembly ignores its own open meetings law
Two transparency bills died Tuesday during a purge of proposals left over from before the coronavirus pandemic forced a suspension of the 2020 Colorado legislative session. Meeting for the first time since Mar. 11, the Senate Judiciary Committee voted 4-1 to kill a bipartisan measure that would have required the state’s judicial branch to publish Colorado Supreme Court and […]
More than 150 organizations have signed a statement to state, tribal and local public institutions voicing concerns about transparency and access to meetings and records as these institutions respond to the Coronavirus emergency and continue their administrative deliberations. Organizations representing diverse constituencies and political ideologies have joined together to advise these governing bodies that real time […]
Read More… from 150 Organizations Sign Statement on Government Coronavirus Emergency Transparency
In Arkansas, lawmakers convened inside of a basketball arena, maintaining social distancing in the tiered rows of seating to cast in-person votes on emergency legislation. Ohio legislators voted from separate rooms, dressed in casual clothing after Senate leaders observed that business attire typically requires dry cleaning so is washed less frequently. In New York, senators passed a resolution permitting […]
Read More… from State Legislatures Scramble to Meet in the Age of Coronavirus
March 16, 2020 For Immediate Release Contact: Daniel Bevarly Executive Director, NFOIC dbevarly@nfoic.org 352-294-7082 New service tracks state transparency-related bills The National Freedom of Information Coalition is pleased to unveil a new bill tracking tool that will allow the public to more easily access information about transparency-related bills in their state. […]
Read More… from News Release – New service tracks state transparency-related bills
For Immediate Release Contact: Daniel Bevarly Executive Director, NFOIC dbevarly@nfoic.org 352-294-7082 NFOIC reveals pilot project results looking at 2019 state transparency bills nationwide The National Freedom of Information Coalition is pleased to announce the publication of its latest research, “Legislating Open Government: The Prevalence of Transparency-Related Language in 2019 State Legislative Bills.” The report is […]
Read More… from News Release – NFOIC study looks at 2019 state transparency bills
The report from the Knight Commission on Trust, Media and Democracy, explores the disconnect between the public, the press and our public institutions, notably government. The report concludes we are in a watershed moment and must make reforms in our media and civic infrastructure. The report advances a series of recommendations aimed at the news media, civic educators and […]
The Virginia General Assembly now has two former journalists as members, and they are hoping to move forward with bills to increase press freedom. High school newspapers shouldn’t be bullied or told what to do by principals and administrators. That’s the idea behind a bill introduced by Delegate Chris Hurst, a Democrat from Blacksburg who […]
Read More… from Former Journalists Push Press Freedom in Virginia House of Delegates
We’re pleased to see Wyoming lawmakers taking a preliminary step toward strengthening the state’s public records act. Late last month, the Legislature’s Joint Corporations, Elections and Political Subdivisions Interim Committee endorsed a bill that would give government officials a deadline for providing public records: They’d need to turn over the records within 17 days of […]
