(CNN) People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals is preparing to sue the US Department of Agriculture and the Animal Health Inspection Service to obtain records of Animal Welfare Act enforcement actions, CNN has learned. PETA says Freedom of Information Act requests for these records submitted between December 2016 and December 2017 have gone unanswered. The […]
The judiciary Thursday announced that the public would be able to access some court documents online once the $15 million electronic case filing system is implemented over the next few years, but that it would not be free. Chief Justice Leigh I. Saufley said that the system would be similar to the federal judiciary’s Public Access […]
Read More… from Maine Chief justice: Public will be able to access court documents online for a fee
A superior court judge in San Juan ordered the government of Puerto Rico on Tuesday to release detailed data on every single death recorded on the island since Hurricane Maria made landfall in late September. The data could provide much-needed insight into the true death toll from Hurricane Maria, which has been a source of […]
Transparency has been a touchy topic for Mayor de Blasio. A champion of open government while serving as public advocate, he has been less willing to let the sunlight into City Hall as mayor. While de Blasio in 2014 launched a “FOIL Tracker” to gauge city compliance with the state’s freedom of information law, and later […]
Read More… from New York: Many City Agencies Devote Skeleton Staff to Making Records Transparent
When it comes to capturing and archiving text messages, a recent survey from Smarsh found many government agencies are not keeping up with best practices required to satisfy public records requests. Smarsh’s 2018 Public Sector Text & Mobile Communications Survey offers insights from government professionals at all levels from across the US regarding mobile device management and […]
Read More… from Survey highlights challenges of retaining public sector text messages
Elected officials secretly texting each other during public meetings may or may not become a problem requiring a statewide fix. But it’s happening enough that a Virginia transparency panel may soon issue guidance to city councils and county boards on the legality of politicians tapping out messages on their phones while conducting public business. On […]
In advance of the June 7 public hearing regarding whether the public will be allowed access to electronic court records, we will look at overall transparency in Maine state government, from access to information through FOIA requests to financial disclosure measures, accountability laws and ethics agencies. A 2015 report by the Center for Public Integrity ranked […]
Read More… from Government Transparency: How Does Maine Make Information Accessible to the Public?
Rules allowing state agencies to charge for public records received a surprising endorsement last month from the Wyoming Press Association, a traditional advocate for transparency that had previously opposed the fees. The rules crafted by the Department of Administration & Information charge taxpayers for public employee time used to complete a public records request. Opponents […]
Read More… from Wyoming Press Association stands down in open-records fight
The Texas Supreme Court has denied the appeal of a lower court decision permitting a delayed response to a public records request — potentially negating a law that requires a response to requests within 10 business days. In refusing to consider the case of Hartman Newspapers against Fort Bend County, the high court opens the […]
Read More… from Editorial: Supreme Court denial threatens Texas public records access
Public safety legislation authored by California State Assembly member Todd Gloria (D-San Diego) to demilitarize law enforcement, build better police and community relations, and promote government transparency passed the State Assembly Saturday and will head to the State Senate. Todd Gloria spoke to Jason Austell about the bill. “Law enforcement, government, and the public are the foundation of every […]
Read More… from Public Safety Bill headed to California State Senate
