FOI and Open Government News 
Virginia Governor backs off push for sweeping changes to FOIA bill
March 7 — Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe is backing off sweeping changes he recommended to a Freedom of Information Act bill. Continue...
What police records should be public? New Jersey Supreme Court to decide
March 7 — New Jersey's highest court is weighing whether police departments should be given broad discretion over which documents to release under the state's public records laws. Continue...
Idaho coalition teaches about open government
March 7 — Free seminars offered by the Idahoans for Openness in Government is helping local governments, the media and public better understand open meetings and open records law. Continue...
Beware of 'big data hubris' when it comes to police reform
March 7 — Crunching the numbers can help, but it’s no silver bullet. Continue...
Database of Colorado statutes will be free, state lawmakers decide
March 7 — The state legislature no longer will charge thousands of dollars for copies of its annually updated database of the Colorado Revised Statutes and ancillary information such as source notes and editors’ notes. Continue...
Connecticut watchdog agencies fear results of deep cuts
March 4 — The state’s watchdog agencies say more cuts will leave them unable to function. Continue...
Private university police bill headed to Indiana governor
March 4 — An Indiana bill that would exempt police departments at the University of Notre Dame and other private colleges from following the same crime reporting requirements as public colleges is headed to Gov. Pence for his signature. Continue...
Florida Senate passes compromise on records suits
March 4 — The Florida Senate passed a compromise version of what started as the session’s most contentious bill involving public records exemptions. Continue...
When publishing open data, cities and states have variety of platform choices
March 4 — As the open data publishing market heats up, all levels of government have more partners to choose from. Continue...
Massachusetts committee will debate public records law changes in public
March 4 — Massachusetts legislators are seeking public input as they discuss the first major overhaul to the state's public records law. Continue...
Lucian Pera named new president of TCOG
March 3 — Memphis attorney Lucian Pera is the new president of the Tennessee Coalition for Open Government. Continue...
Missouri legislation would close police reports of suicides
March 3 — A Missouri lawmaker who tried to kill herself last year now wants to make police reports of suicides and attempted suicides closed records. Continue...
How Virginia's governor could veto a public records bill without vetoing it
March 3 — Virginia lawmakers from both parties have expressed concern with action by Gov. Terry McAuliffe that they said would essentially veto a bill aimed at making sure public records are released. Continue...
New Jersey city admits open records violation, must pay $5K in legal fees
March 3 — The city of Bayonne admitted it didn't clearly explain why it denied part of an open public records request and will be paying $5,000 in legal fees to resolve a resulting lawsuit. Continue...
Idaho public records exemption to be softened
March 3 — A bill that would expand an exemption in Idaho’s public records law is expected to be amended to address the concerns of reporters and open government advocates. Continue...
California needs better open data on state government spending, lawmakers say
March 3 — California lawmakers this week called for more transparency in state government, including open data initiatives that provide better accountability of how public money is spent. Continue...
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FOI Summit Wrap-up and All Things Summit
2015 FOI Summit from Denver
NFOIC and co-sponsor Colorado Freedom of Information Coalition convened the 2015 FOI Summit on Friday, October 9th, and Saturday, October 10th in downtown Denver, Colorado. The FOI Summit features ideas, experiences and discussions about the latest issues and trends around freedom of information laws, policies and practices at the state and local levels across the nation. Continue>>>
Knight FOI Fund
About the Knight FOI Fund
The Knight FOI Fund offers financial support in open government lawsuits, fueling and assisting the pursuit of important FOI cases. The need arose from the realization that the economic crisis and the evolution of the news media has resulted in declining levels of FOI advocacy. Continue > >
About NFOIC
We are a nonpartisan alliance of state and regional affiliates promoting collaboration, education & advocacy for open government, transparency and freedom of information. We award grants, publish FOI and FOIA news, provide transparency education and support to state and local governments, supply state sample FOIA request letters and Federal FOIA request letters. Continue >>
Your NFOIC
Sunshine Week 2016 - What's going on?
NFOIC and its state and regional affiliates are celebrating Sunshine Week 2016 and the 50th anniversary of the signing of the Federal Freedom of information Act (FOIA) by President Lyndon Johnson. Learn more about the celebration and what's planned by your NFOIC state affiliates.
About Your NFOIC
The National Freedom of Information Coalition protects the right to open government. We are a national, nonpartisan nonprofit 501(c)3 organization consisting of more than 40 state and regional affiliates, with a membership representing journalists and news media organizations, attorneys and law firms, educators, watchdog groups and individuals.
Our mission is to ensure openness, accessibility and transparency in government and public institutions. Our primary focus is at the state and local levels.
NFOIC exercises advocacy, education and resolve. We are keenly aware of the challenges to access information in an increasingly digital world.
We strive to bridge the gap between the public and the written, verbal and increasingly digital information held by public officials that citizens are entitled to in our democracy. NFOIC works as an intermediary to resolve conflicts between the public and their public institutions through collaboration and understanding of the challenges that create them and the solutions to resolve them.
We welcome your involvement and financial support as a member or donor to help advance our mission. We encourage you to also support your NFOIC state affiliate. Opinions, comments, suggestions and questions are always welcome. Please follow us on Twitter and “like” the cause of open government on Facebook. Read more about NFOIC...
File and track FOI requests at NFOIC state and regional coalition sites using FOIA Machine
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The National Freedom of Information Coalition (NFOIC) and FOIA Machine (FM) have teamed to help people file and track their FOI requests online through select NFOIC state and regional member web sites. Visitors to NFOIC coalition web sites will be able to use FOIA Machine's technology to prepare, file and track their FOI request to public agencies at the local, state, or federal levels. More...
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