A brief filed Thursday by the Colorado Freedom of Information Coalition and several news and journalism organizations asks the U.S. Supreme Court to hear a First Amendment records case, deemed “vital to Colorado journalism,” that was brought by The Colorado Independent. Prepared pro bono by attorney Gregg Leslie and the First Amendment Clinic at Arizona […]
Tag: Colorado
A bastion of student data privacy, Colorado yields a bit to demands for more openness
Colorado education officials are reconsidering the data privacy rules that for three years in a row have hidden large amounts of student achievement data from public view. With Thursday’s release of state test results, the public has greater ability to see how well certain groups of students perform on state tests compared with their peers than they’ve […]
Governors Association Works with Eight States to Improve Health Data Sharing
Eight states are in the early stages of a collaboration with the National Governors Association that could enhance their ability to use and share health-care data enterprise-wide, ultimately improving operations and services to residents. On June 13, NGA, which works with governors on public policy and governance issues, announced a health policy partnership around data best practices […]
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Denver Post Editorial: Colorado judges strike again
Look to see if Randolph Romero has had a recent criminal case brought against him and you’ll be met with the official response “no such records exist.” That is a lie perpetrated by one of the many Colorado judges who have proved themselves far too willing to seal court cases, even cases where there is […]
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Judge denies Boulder County’s (CO) bid for attorney’s fees, court costs in open-records suit
A Boulder District Court judge has denied Boulder County’s effort to get Gunbarrel resident Kristin Bjornsen to pay more than $3,900 in attorney’s fees and related court costs that the county claimed was part of the expense of defending the county in an open-meetings and open-records lawsuit. Bjornsen welcomed Judge Thomas Mulvahill’s decision and said […]
Guest Column: In support of transparency and due process in Colorado
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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Colorado Governor signs bill requiring ‘cooling-off period’ for CORA disputes
Gov. John Hickenlooper signed legislation Thursday that requires a “cooling-off period” when open-records disputes reach the point where litigation is being considered.
With House Bill 17-1177, someone who is denied records under the Colorado Open Records Act (CORA) must wait 14 days to challenge the denial in court. During that time, the records custodian for a government entity must speak with the requester in person or by phone in an attempt to resolve the matter.
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From CFOIC: Legislation would change availability of public information on juveniles charged as adults
But if a bill under consideration in the Colorado legislature had been in effect, arrest records showing the names of the juveniles would not have been released – not then and perhaps not for several months.
Under House Bill 17-1204, a judge would have to order a juvenile be charged as an adult to trigger the public release of all currently available arrest and criminal records in such cases. A judge makes that decision after a reverse transfer hearing, in which youths who are “direct filed” in adult court ask to have their cases sent to juvenile court.
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How One Colorado Reporter’s Struggle Led To New Open Records Legislation
Earlier this month, Fort Collins Coloradoan reporter Nick Coltrain won the First Amendment Award at the Society for Professional Journalists’ Top of the Rockies for a battle with Colorado State University. He wanted to know if there were inequities in pay between men and women — and discovered there were, but only after a lot of work. The school provided him with a printout of all the information — 150 pages of an Excel spreadsheet — rather than the files themselves.
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Wage theft to be included in Colorado Open Records Act
Gov. John Hickenlooper has signed into law a bill that allows the public to know if an employer steals wages from his or her workers.
Democratic Rep. Jessie Danielson's measure includes these wage violations under Colorado's Open Records Act.
The law, signed Thursday, allows citizens to find out if they're doing business with, or considering a job with, an offender.
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