National Freedom of Information Coalition
Protecting Your Right to Open Government

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Colorado colleges seek exemption to open meetings law

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A bill that would allow two Colorado colleges’ governing boards to make decisions outside of public meetings is working its way through the Colorado Legislature, but it may see pushback from one of those colleges.

House Bill 1259 would allow the boards of trustees for Aims Community College and Colorado Mountain College to “meet” electronically, opening the door for meetings via web portal, email or any other digital platform through which the public would essentially be unable to attend.

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Virginia Senate passes bill to keep names of police, deputies a secret

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The Virginia Senate voted 25-15 on Monday to keep the names of all police officers and deputy sheriffs a secret.

SB552 by Sen. John Cosgrove, R-Chesapeake, applies to any local or state officer, including officers from agencies such as the Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control and the Virginia Marine Police.

Cosgrove said during an earlier subcommittee hearing that he filed the bill in response to a November court ruling allowing The Virginian-Pilot access to names, agencies and employment dates for current Virginia police officers.

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New Mexico Senate committee kills ethics and transparency reform measures

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In less than an hour Tuesday morning, the Senate Rules Committee killed two good-government proposals, helping cement the Senate’s reputation as the place where ethics and transparency legislation goes to die.

One proposal, HJR 5, would have asked voters in November to create a state ethics commission, an idea the New Mexico Legislature has contemplated since 2007.

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D.C. Metro ‘loses’ trains on purpose in data released to app developers, unheard of elsewhere

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Developers of a real-time map of Metrorail trains find the data released by the regional transit agency to be “faulty, unreliable and riddled with holes," according to a Washington Post report.

The app, dubbed “MetroHero,” is available for Android and Apple devices.

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Iowa bill would require police to release records in closed investigations

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Family and friends of Autumn Steele have many questions about the day the 34-year-old mom was accidentally shot and killed by a Burlington police officer.

Why was Officer Jesse Hill holding a gun when responding to a domestic disturbance in Steele’s front yard? Did Steele’s dog bite Hill as the officer alleged? How many shots were fired?

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Texas to launch data-sharing pilot, aims to deliver services more efficiently

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Texas plans to launch an open-data pilot program that will let state agencies share information and collaborate on providing services to residents. 

Although the trial program, set to start in March, is just a test, a key Texas IT official hopes it will turn into a full-fledged program to deliver services more efficiently. The goal of the pilot is to spark connections between agencies.

That is especially needed in Texas, according to Ed Kelly, the statewide data coordinator at the Texas Department of Information Resources (DIR). 

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Kansas lawmakers want to limit release of police video

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Kansas lawmakers are working to restrict public access to law enforcement body camera footage in an effort to protect the privacy of people caught on camera. 

A bill introduced by the House judiciary committee last week would limit release of the video to the people in the footage, their attorneys and their parents if they are minors. The public would have access to footage only through a court order. A judge could release the recordings if it is in the public’s interest or if it wouldn’t interfere with a police investigation.

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New Mexico campaign finance open data bill advances

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The public could have a much clearer picture of money in politics if a bill adding open data features to the state’s electronic campaign finance system is successful. The proposal was advanced Monday the Senate Rules Committee.

The bill (HB 105), would require candidates to go online to submit information about their fundraising and spending. It would also make it easier for the public to verify information in campaign finance reports by adding cross-referencing features to the state’s electronic campaign finance reporting system.

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A First Amendment fight in Florida

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The First Amendment Foundation and others have met with lawmakers here to discuss revisions to a Senate bill that would let a judge decide whether to award attorney fees against an agency involved in a lawsuit regarding an open-records law violation.

But while several free-speech groups told the Senate Judiciary Committee this week that they view some recent changes to SB 1220 as progress, they are still not convinced that the bill does not impede on Floridians’ constitutional right to public information.

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