The NFOIC open government blog is a compendium of original concepts and analysis as well as ideas, edited excerpts and materials from a variety of sources. When the information comes from another source, we will attribute it and provide a link. The blog relies on the accuracy and integrity of the original sources cited; we will correct errors and inaccuracies when we become aware of them.
If you're looking for Advocate posts from before July, 2011, visit http://foiadvocate.blogspot.com/.
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From Gartner:
Open government initiatives are either aimed at providing greater transparency, usually as a reaction to an accusation or perception of excessive secrecy, or at engaging citizens in specific problem solution as well as service delivery. It is probably fair to say that the US federal initiatives are closer to the former, while UK initiatives are closer to the latter.
From Fox and Hounds Daily:
Gov. Jerry Brown missed an opportunity when he announced that he was eliminating hundreds of state reports – and seeking to eliminate hundreds more.
Brown was trying to convey that the state was buckling down and eliminating waste. But frugality was the only message. He should have paired that move with a call for more engagement – and openness.
From ProPublica:
From intrusive pat-downs to body scans to perceived profiling, the Transportation Security Administration always seems to be the target of complaints.
Here's another one: It took the TSA almost four years to tell me what people complained about — in 2008.
From Hickory Daily Record:
The Hickory City Council meeting on Tuesday was an exercise in open government. A Hickory resident took advantage of a statement on the agenda to force discussion on an issue, and the state’s open records law was illuminated for all to hear.
From Oswego Patch:
The Oswego School District 308 Board heard from upset parents Thursday night over what some say are recent violations of the Illinois Open Meetings Act.
From Chicago Tribune:
The South Washington County school board broke the state Open Meeting Law during the process of firing Superintendent Mark Porter, a state agency has ruled.
An advisory opinion by the Minnesota Department of Administration says that the board acted illegally in meetings in December and January.
A few state FOIA and local open government news items selected from many of interest that we might or might not have drawn attention to earlier in the week:
NARA Survey Shows Continued Govt-wide Records Mis-Management
The May 1 release of an annual report by the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA), based on surveys agencies filled out about their record keeping practices, shows how much more work needs to be done before we can say with any certainty that the government is not at risk of losing potentially important records.
Visit OpenTheGovernment.org for the rest.
Ohio legislature intends to preserve accessibility to public records
I was disappointed to read the Rep editorial “JobsOhio bill is raising red flag” (April 27). As the state representative of this area, as well as the sponsor of House Bill 489, I can be a good source of information when misunderstandings such as this arise.
Visit CantonRep.com for the rest.
Utah names open records ombudsman
The state of Utah has named a GRAMA ombudsman to serve as an intermediary between the public and the state when dealing with government record requests.
Visit Daily Herald for the rest.
Chicago open records advocates fear information roadblocks
The state Office of Information Practices hopes a bill that would grant government agencies a new right to appeal open records decisions in court would give its orders more legal clout, yet open government advocates warn that it would delay public access to information.
Visit Chicago Tribune for the rest.
Chicago Police Sought Assistance From DHS On Occupy Chicago
Less than a month after Occupy Chicago faced two rounds of arrests for attempting to create its own encampment in Grant Park last year, Chicago Police sent a request for information to the Department of Homeland Security to see how other cities dealt with the movement. Documents released via a Freedom of Information Act request to Truthout show on Nov. 9, CPD was interested in contacting law enforcement in New York, Oakland, Washington D.C., Portland, Seattle, Boston and Denver to obtain information on Occupy movements
Visit Chicagoist.com for the rest.
4 frequent FOIA-ers led to new city hire
Repeated Freedom of Information Act requests filed by just four parties may have contributed to the planned hiring of a new deputy city clerk, who will earn $17,500 for a year of part-time work. During the April 10 city council meeting, city clerk Rodney Greene presented a graph showing four anonymous requesters and the number of FOIA requests they had each filed in 2011 and 2012. The most frequent requester filed 18 FOIAs in that time period.
Visit The Daily Northwestern for the rest.
State Ports Authority thwarts efforts to pry info loose
The Post and Courier’s recent series on the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) highlighted one of the most important, and least appreciated, characteristics of a free society — the ability ordinary citizens should have to learn, without filters, what government is doing for them and, potentially, to them. Reinforcing The Post and Courier’s findings, the State Integrity Assessment, a project of Public Radio International, the Center for Public Integrity and Global Integrity, gave South Carolina an “F” for government transparency.
Visit The Post and Courier for the rest.
Consumer Watchdog Files FOIA Request Seeking All Documents In FCC's Investigation Of Google Wi-Spy Scandal
SANTA MONICA—Consumer Watchdog today filed a Freedom of Information Act Request with the Federal Communications Commission seeking all documents related to the Commission's investigation of the Google Wi-Spy scandal.
Visit Market Watch for the rest.
Mayor orders camera off at council meeting
Meetings of the Cumming City Council rarely make the evening news, but that changed last week with video of a woman being tossed out of the public gathering.
Visit Politifact for the rest.
From Rapid City Journal:
Chadron’s efforts to hire a city manager have extended well in to 2012 after former city manager Sandra Powell resigned in October 2011. At the most recent city council meeting, the local news media was accused of interfering in the process. It’s not the first time the issue has been brought forth.
From Woodbury Bulletin:
The South Washington County School Board violated state law in its handling of Superintendent Mark Porter’s final performance evaluation, according to a state opinion.
The nonbinding opinion sought by the South Washington County Bulletin concluded that the District 833 School Board violated the state’s Open Meeting Law when it did not publicly summarize its evaluation of Porter at a meeting immediately following the closed-door workshop used to conduct that evaluation.
From Detroit News:
Lansing—The state Court of Appeals on Thursday heard oral arguments in four cases in which lower courts ruled financial review teams appointed under Public Act 4 violated the Open Meetings Act.
Two of the cases were filed by activist Robert Davis against the Detroit Financial Review Team. A similar case was filed against the Detroit team by AFCME activist Edward McNeil. The fourth case was filed against the Flint financial review team.
From WLNS.com:
The Michigan Court of Appeals is hearing arguments in cases related to troubled city finances in Detroit and Flint. The issue is whether the state review teams that looked at the books in both cities should have met in public.
Lower court judges ruled that they must meet the requirements of the Open Meetings Act. The court will hear arguments Thursday. A decision will be released at a later date.
From Aiken Standard:
COLUMBIA, S.C.—The South Carolina House approved a bill Thursday strengthening the state's open records law.
The bill approved 101-1 a bill barring public agencies, governments and school districts from charging excessive fees for public records and requiring them to respond more quickly. It also removes legislators' exemption from the law.
