WEST MICHIGAN — Public meetings — and public access to those meetings — look a little bit different in the middle of the global COVID-19 pandemic. In the greater Holland area, township trustees are reciting the Pledge of Allegiance together over the phone and logging on to video calls to take votes on water utility […]
Read More… from COVID-19 alters government transparency rules
Students at the University of Florida who want to know how they are being protected from the COVID-19 pandemic can’t find out. The university is hiding its emergency response plan under a legal loophole intended to keep terrorists and enemy combatants—not viruses—from exploiting government weaknesses. Since the spread of coronavirus accelerated in recent weeks, local, state and […]
Read More… from Government Secrecy is Growing During the Coronavirus Pandemic
In 2019, according to the Center for State and Local Government Excellence, only about 19% of local governments had any kind of telework arrangements in place and fewer than half the states did. Even in states that had some telework capacity, only a handful provided that option for more than a modest portion of employees. […]
Read More… from Lessons from States that Embraced Telework Before the Coronavirus
To further facilitate the social distancing and stay-at-home orders put in place in the past two weeks, Gov. Jay Inslee suspended several parts of the state’s government transparency laws this week. The order, which is in effect until April 24, temporarily waives certain requirements of Washington’s Open Public Meeting and Public Records acts. Public meetings […]
Read More… from Washington Governor Inslee relaxes open government laws
Citing unprecedented challenges created by the coronavirus pandemic, city officials across California are asking Gov. Gavin Newsom to suspend or delay numerous state laws, saying they’re unable to comply with everything from environmental regulations to public records laws that give people a window into how the government is spending public money. Noting that city resources […]
Read More… from California cities want transparency rules waived in pandemic
More than 150 organizations have signed a statement to state, tribal and local public institutions voicing concerns about transparency and access to meetings and records as these institutions respond to the Coronavirus emergency and continue their administrative deliberations. Organizations representing diverse constituencies and political ideologies have joined together to advise these governing bodies that real time […]
Read More… from 150 Organizations Sign Statement on Government Coronavirus Emergency Transparency
In Arkansas, lawmakers convened inside of a basketball arena, maintaining social distancing in the tiered rows of seating to cast in-person votes on emergency legislation. Ohio legislators voted from separate rooms, dressed in casual clothing after Senate leaders observed that business attire typically requires dry cleaning so is washed less frequently. In New York, senators passed a resolution permitting […]
Read More… from State Legislatures Scramble to Meet in the Age of Coronavirus
A key Pennsylvania state senator says he’s not ready to push forward a House-passed bill that would codify what steps governmental bodies — from county commissions to local zoning boards — must follow to conduct business during the coronavirus outbreak. On Wednesday, the Pennsylvania House unanimously passed HB1564 to define how governments can comply with the Sunshine […]
