washington coalition for open government – Page 2 – National Freedom of Information Coalition

WA: Auditor’s public disclosure report, a possible tool for revising state law, draws praise and skepticism

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Every year, state lawmakers propose revisions to the state Public Records Act, a law passed by initiative in 1972 and amended many times since.

Every year, open-records advocates battle those proposed revisions, with varying degrees of success.

In 2017, the eternal struggle will play out again during the legislative session, but revision-minded lawmakers will have a new weapon to wield: a survey by the Washington state auditor measuring the costs and effects of records requests on state and local governments.

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UW regents sued over ‘sham public process’ in picking school’s president

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An advocacy group for government transparency on Tuesday sued the University of Washington Board of Regents, contending the board conducted a “sham public process” and violated the state’s open-meetings law last October by secretly picking the university’s president.

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Washington: Public records remain a challenge for lawmakers

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State lawmakers continued their search Tuesday for ways to help cities, counties, school districts and other government agencies deal with increasing demands for large volumes of public records, some of those from people whose motives they question.

Lawmakers earlier this year refused to pass a bill that would have let local governments limit how much time employees spend processing requests and to prioritize the order in which they are handled. Continue...

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Coalition Advocacy Helps Win Public Access Victory as D.C. Council Passes Police Camera Legislation

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With only one significant amendment, the D.C. Council Tuesday (15) passed legislation finally authorizing the Metropolitan Police Department body camera program.

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Washington State disclosure watchdog sues Lindquist’s office

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Add Washington's biggest public disclosure watchdog to the chorus of litigants taking aim at Pierce County Prosecutor Mark Lindquist’s office.

The nonprofit Washington Coalition for Open Government filed suit Monday against Pierce County, accusing Lindquist and his staff of violating the state’s public disclosure law.

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Coalition to honor Washington State Sen. Fain

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The Washington Coalition for Open Government will present its 2014 Ballard/Thompson Award to Senate Majority Floor Leader Joe Fain (R-Auburn, 47th District) on Jan. 26 in Olympia.

The award honors a state legislator who demonstrated outstanding dedication to the cause of open government during the previous legislative session.

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WACOG honors Olympia planning commissioner

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A member of the Olympia Planning Commission was recognized for taking a stance on open public meetings, but not everyone applauded.

Judy Bardin received a Key Award from the Washington Coalition for Open Government, a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization that defends open-government laws. She was honored for blowing the whistle on a series of private meetings between other commissioners and developers. But the award drew stinging comments from her fellow commissioners, who defended the meetings as legal and said they felt maligned by her “false accusations.”

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Park district votes twice to comply with open meetings law

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In its last meeting, the Vashon Park District (WA) voted on a severance agreement for a former employee who had worked for the district for several years. It was the second time the commissioners voted on the agreement because they first voted in a closed executive session, which is prohibited by state law.

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Former Kirkland Reporter editor wins Key award from Washington Coalition for Open Government

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Former Kirkland Reporter editor Carrie Rodriguez received the Washington Coalition for Open Government’s Key Award for winning disclosure of public information that Federal Way city officials had wrongly withheld. Rodriguez is currently the editor of the Federal Way Mirror.

Coalition President and Kirkland City Council member Toby Nixon presented the award to Rodriquez on April 24.

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