An unanimous decision from the state Supreme Court last week serves as a rebuke of the Port of Vancouver Commission and an affirmation that public agencies are, indeed, beholden to the public. In the process, the court defined a dereliction of duty by port commissioners and provided insight for this year’s election.
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At one point during a Virginia Freedom of Information Advisory Council discussion about closed meetings of public bodies, a distinguished lobbyist for local government argued secrecy is necessary to, as he put it, keep the stupid in the room.
Turns out, we could tell him something about that.
The closed door session at which three Peninsula Airport Commissioners decided to guarantee a loan to People Express Airlines makes clear the appalling risks when public bodies make decisions in secret. That deal cost $4.5 million in public funds.
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Read More… from Daily Press (VA) Editorial: Lock stupid out of process
“Sunshine is the best disinfectant,” state Rep. Weston Newton said.
Newton’s comments came this week after the state Legislature voted to amend South Carolina’s Freedom of Information Act.
The Bluffton Republican said he is “delighted” that some much-needed changes have been made.
“We’ve been working on this for a number of years,” Newton said.
The act outlines how public bodies, such as state and local governments and school districts, comply with records requests from the public.
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Read More… from S.C. Legislator: ‘Without transparency, there is no accountability’
In a world that is becoming increasingly communicative — where people often receive their news, share news, state their opinions and post pictures with their whereabouts via social media — the lines are perhaps a bit more blurry about how such information can be used.
Last month, the Brennan Center for Justice, a nonpartisan law and policy institute, released a map that details specific cities, counties and law enforcement agencies across the United States that have spent at least $10,000 on social media monitoring software.
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Read More… from Law Enforcement Agencies Spend Millions on Social Media Monitoring
Djion Oates was arrested and charged with robbery on his 16th birthday and sentenced to five years of probation. About three years later, he was arrested and charged with murdering a man on MetroLink. But according to the Missouri Highway Patrol’s website, he has been missing since he was 15 years old.
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Read More… from Missouri’s Statewide Database of Missing Kids Paints Unreliable Picture
We hear governments boasting all the time about their transparency websites and there is no question that the material that’s posted on the Internet is generally leagues better than in the past.
But we have a gripe. There is one transparency topic that appears to be in deep decline – the recording of meeting minutes for work that takes place in legislative committee meetings, advisory panels, commissions and task forces.
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Read More… from Transparency: Government minutes missing in action
Even with the Freedom of Information Act, requesting government records remains an arduous process—especially compared to the efficiency of the legal world.
Earlier this month, House Oversight Committee Chairman Jason Chaffetz wrote to the Federal Bureau of Investigation demanding former FBI director James Comey’s notes of conversations with President Trump.
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Read More… from Why Is Access To Public Records Still So Frustratingly Complicated?
Given the large shortfall facing lawmakers this year, one might think they would try to reduce potential waste, mismanagement and corruption regarding expenditure of taxpayer dollars. Instead, lawmakers passed a bill that would have reduced oversight of some multimillion-dollar contracts.
Gov. Mary Fallin vetoed the bill recently, and deserves credit for demanding greater accountability in government contracting.
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Read More… from Opinion: Transparency crucial in state contracting
A strong bipartisan majority of Colorado legislators came together during the 2017 legislative session to pass HB 1313 – Civil Forfeiture Reform.
The bill, which adds necessary transparency and due process protections to the asset forfeiture practices of Colorado law enforcement, passed out of both chambers by a combined 81-19 vote and is awaiting signature by Gov. John Hickenlooper.
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Read More… from Guest Column: In support of transparency and due process in Colorado
Oregon state government, agencies and commissions are shelling out hundreds millions of dollars to public relations firms. Eighty-seven state agencies spent $278 million dollars to convince taxpayers to spend more taxpayer dollars on bigger government, higher taxes – and more regulations from 2012 through 2016.
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Read More… from Oregon State Government’s $278 Million Self-Promotion ‘PR’ Machine
