Rep. Paul Graves (R) of Fall City, in his second year as a state legislator, is proposing an end to a form of special treatment for state legislators. In advance of the 2018 legislative session, he is introducing a bill to amend the state’s 40-year-old Public Records Act by removing a 1995 exemption for state […]
New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo signed a bill Wednesday that strengthens the state’s Freedom of Information Law and may make state and local governments think twice before denying access to public records. Under the new law, judges will be required to award legal fees to any citizen who successfully sues to gain access to state […]
Read More… from NY: Gov. Andrew Cuomo signs bill aimed at easing access to public records
SANTA FE – Call up New Mexico’s transparency website and you’ll find the contact information for three state employees ready to help answer questions. But one of those employees, Robert McEntyre, left state government eight months ago. And the site misspells the name of another, Wyndham Kemsley. The problems go well beyond that, says state Sen. […]
Read More… from Sunshine Portal keeps New Mexico in the dark
Amanda Farber still doesn’t know why Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan blocked her from his Facebook group. A resident of Bethesda and full-time parent and volunteer, Farber identifies as a Democrat but voted for the Republican Hogan in 2014. Farber says she doesn’t post on her representatives’ pages often. But earlier this year, she said she […]
Read More… from Governors, federal agencies are blocking nearly 1,300 social media accounts
JEFFERSON CITY • Attorney General Josh Hawley says text messages are public records under Missouri’s open records law, raising fresh concern about fellow Republican Gov. Eric Greitens’ use of a secretive app that deletes text messages after they’ve been read. Hawley said his office policy – and legal view — was that text messages sent […]
Read More… from Missouri AG: text messages are among government officials public records
The Justice Department is refusing to reveal details of the process that led up to former FBI Director Robert Mueller being granted an ethics waiver to serve as special counsel investigating the Trump campaign’s alleged collusion with Russia during the 2016 presidential election. In response to a POLITICO Freedom of Information Act request, the agency […]
Read More… from Justice Department won’t disclose details on Mueller ethics waiver
Getting public records can be challenging in Virginia, where the state attorney general’s office once charged nearly $15,000 for the release of emails related to then-Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli’s (R) ties to a well-connected businessman. But 2018 may be a year for greater transparency, with two journalists entering the House of Delegates determined to revise […]
Read More… from New delegates push for more transparency, stronger FOIA laws in Virginia
An organization that works quietly on your behalf celebrated its 25th anniversary with an event at the Statehouse. The Ohio Coalition for Open Government has pushed for open government and access to public records in our state. It works to ensure that state and local governments remain open, operate with transparency and serve the people […]
Read More… from Alan Miller: Coalition works on your behalf to keep government open
Why has it been so hard for New York to pass a law that would make it a bit more likely for people to get that information? Welcome to Albany, the land of outsized egos and petty turf wars, where good ideas go to die every day. Now Gov. Andrew Cuomo has an opportunity to […]
Read More… from The New York TImes editorial: Opening Up New York’s Public Records
Read the latest from the Newsletter of the Colorado Freedom of Information Coalition, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit dedicated to helping Coloradans understand and use their rights of access to the records and proceedings of government and the judiciary. Continue… […]
