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Virginia lawmaker wants to cut FOIA fees, but some in government are pushing back
Danica Roem, a former journalist who serves in the Virginia House of Delegates, has introduced legislation requiring Virginia public bodies to fulfill records requests for free, unless the request takes more than two hours of staff time to fulfill. Critics of the bill said FOIA requests sometimes are used to “harass” public officials, and the […]
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Project analyzes police misconduct record laws in all 50 states
A project funded by the Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting finds that most states keep police misconduct records secret or difficult to access. But 15 states have laws allowing such records to be available to the public. That’s an increase from a few years ago. The project analyzed police misconduct record laws in all 50 […]
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News Leaders Association honors First Amendment Award winners for advancing Freedom of Information principles
Journalists uncovered decades of New York police disciplinary records, detailed a university’s handling of sexual misconduct claims, and investigated deaths inside detention facilities. Their efforts have been recognized by the News Leaders Association, which announced its 2021 First Amendment Award recipients on May 12, 2021. The awards recognize “the best journalism advancing Freedom of Information […]
Rules on releasing police body-camera footage vary; nine states are most restrictive, The Hill says
Alabama, Arizona, Kansas, Maine, Missouri, North Carolina, South Carolina, Texas and Wyoming have the most restrictive laws regarding the disclosure of police body-camera recordings. That’s according to a May 10, 2021, article in The Hill. “With no federal requirements on releasing police videos, states often differ in their approach to making the footage publicly available, […]
NFOIC supports New York coalition’s effort to mandate the posting of public meeting minutes
The National Freedom of Information Coalition has endorsed a letter written by the New York Coalition for Open Government, urging the state to mandate that minutes of public meetings be posted online within two weeks of a meeting. “It is important to have a written record of who attended a meeting; what motions were made […]
In partnership with Uncovered, NFOIC provides public records training to cold-case solvers
The National Freedom of Information Coalition conducted a three-part “Public Records Bootcamp” training program in partnership with Uncovered: A Cold Case Platform. The Bootcamp, conducted three Thursday evenings in April 2021, each engaged more than 40 participants interested in using public records to help solve cold cases. “Working with NFOIC to provide this level of […]
Loophole allows Wisconsin legislators to destroy emails; ‘Obviously it’s troubling,’ FOI council leader says
Unlike other public officials in Wisconsin, state legislators can destroy documents to avoid records requests, according to a report by the Racine County Eye. State legislators must comply with the state’s Open Records Law — if they have the requested documents in their possession. There’s nothing preventing them from destroying documents, and one state representative […]
Far from perfect, but ‘better than nothing,’ says Michigan coalition director of bill touted as a transparency measure
Unlike lawmakers in most states, Michigan legislators aren’t required to disclose their financial interests. A bipartisan bill would change that — kind of. The bill would require lawmakers to disclose their financial information to a legislative committee, which would be exempt from the state’s Open Meetings and Freedom of Information acts. Only if the committee […]
New law in Virginia a ‘rare victory for open access’ to police records, editorial says
In the ongoing tussle between government’s efforts to shield itself from scrutiny and the public’s rightful demands to see behind that curtain, this is a rare victory for open access.” — Daily Progress editorial on a new law to open more police records Read the editorial […]