NFOIC – Page 181 – National Freedom of Information Coalition

For South Carolina’s open-government law, a time of triumphs and setbacks

Posted on

Year after year, the state’s open-records law cracks a door to the activities of government that might otherwise stay secret. Information gleaned with its help has a power to change lives for the better and make governments more accountable.

But some officials continue to ignore the S.C. Freedom of Information Act or find ways around it.

When it has worked, the law has helped expose faults in the system for investigating police shootings and lifted a veil hiding shoddy care of foster children.

[…]

Cloudy conditions for Sunshine Week: A pile of paper instead of a spreadsheet

Posted on

For an ongoing series on race in Colorado, Rocky Mountain PBS investigative reporter Katie Wilcox requested five years of records from six cities on when police stop people for suspicious behavior and other reasons.

Grand Junction provided information from its field interviews at no charge. Pueblo billed Wilcox $20, Colorado Springs asked for $88 and Fort Collins quoted her $60. Denver doesn’t keep the data by race.

[…]

D.C. Mayor, CTO to speak at open government summit

Posted on

Mayor Muriel E. Bowser and Archana Vemulapalli, D.C.'s chief technology officer, will discuss government transparency and open data policy at the fifth annual Sunshine Week program co-hosted by the D.C. Open Government Coalition at the National Press Club March 15 from 6:30 to 9 p.m.

The event is open and free to all, but space is limited and only a few seats are still available. A reception will follow the program.

[…]

Opinion: The right to inspect the public’s records in Colorado

Posted on

Colorado Sen. John Kefalas and Rep. Dan Pabon deserve thanks from all Coloradans for their valiant, but unsuccessful, effort to guarantee the public's right to inspect its records.

These two legislators introduced Senate Bill 37, which would have clarified that Coloradans enjoy the right to obtain copies of public records in the same digitized format in which government maintains those records. Our tax dollars pay public servants to carry out the people's business, including creating and keeping public records — our records — on our behalf.

[…]

Open records settlement shines light on blacked-out government records

Posted on

In advance of Sunshine Week, Wisconsin Watchdog and the Wisconsin Institute for Law & Liberty are pleased to announce a victory for open records and open government.

The Jefferson County Sheriff’s Department has agreed to settle an open records case by turning over unredacted copies of requested incident reports and paying WILL’s attorney fees and costs.

[…]

Open records: New Mexico lawmakers rarely use work email

Posted on

New Mexico legislative leaders rarely, if ever, communicate by work email and keep private the details of breakfast and dinner appointments with industry and special interest groups, according to records obtained by The Associated Press.

The Legislature’s four top leaders provided their appointment calendars and hundreds of emails from the first week in February in response to the records request. Nearly all of the emails came from constituents; only three were outgoing messages.

[…]

Audit: How open record laws are applied in state legislatures

Posted on

Lawmakers in every state have adopted laws requiring most government meetings and records to be open to the public. But in some states, lawmakers have exempted themselves from complying.

The Associated Press sent open-records request to the top lawmakers in all 50 states and most governors, seeking copies of their daily schedules and emails from the government accounts for the week of Feb. 1-7.

[…]

NYPD using Cold War excuse to block information on Muslim spying

Posted on

For years the NYPD’s record of spying on law-abiding Muslims has been the subject of fierce public debate. Yet the NYPD is still refusing to acknowledge the existence of basic information related to its controversial and well-documented surveillance program.

Yesterday in an ornate courtroom next to Madison Square Park, the First Appellate Division of the New York Supreme Court considered two cases in which the NYPD had responded to public records requests by stating it could not “confirm or deny the existence of such documents.”

[…]

Media to feds: Give us the mug shots — they’re public

Posted on

A Detroit Free Press-led battle over the public's right to see mug shots of criminal defendants is back before a federal appeals court today, only this time the media company has loads of backup — roughly 60 news organizations have joined in the fight.

At issue is a policy by the U.S. Department of Justice, which has refused to release mug shots of criminal defendants on privacy grounds, even though courts have repeatedly ruled that the public has a right to see those photos.

[…]

Column: Open government is part of Texas’ history of straight talk

Posted on

We Texans have a history of straight talk and openness, and our state’s public information laws reflect it. Shining light on our government allows democracy to flourish.

As we celebrate that light during national Sunshine Week from March 13-19, let’s be thankful that Texas laws value the public’s right to know through broad access to records and meetings. But we cannot grow complacent. We must fight to keep the laws strong.

[…]

Author: NFOIC

Posts by NFOIC

For South Carolina’s open-government law, a time of triumphs and setbacks

Cloudy conditions for Sunshine Week: A pile of paper instead of a spreadsheet

D.C. Mayor, CTO to speak at open government summit

Opinion: The right to inspect the public’s records in Colorado

Open records settlement shines light on blacked-out government records

Open records: New Mexico lawmakers rarely use work email

Audit: How open record laws are applied in state legislatures

NYPD using Cold War excuse to block information on Muslim spying

Media to feds: Give us the mug shots — they’re public

Column: Open government is part of Texas’ history of straight talk