D.C. FOIA – National Freedom of Information Coalition

DCOGC: Independence of D.C. Watchdog Office Threatened, Coalition Tells D.C. Council

Posted on March 1, 2017

Plans are under way inside D.C. government to change the law in ways likely to disable the Office of Open Government (OOG). The D.C. Open Government Coalition testified February 23 at the annual performance oversight hearing on the Board of Ethics and Government Accountability (BEGA) that includes the OOG.

Proposals in the works at the board could harm the office, according to the Coalition’s government affairs committee chair, attorney Robert Becker. He reported on a text of a bill obtained by the Coalition and under consideration by D.C. officials.

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Another D.C. FOIA Blanket Exemption Headed for Passage Under the Radar: Open Government Coalition Again Urges Meaningful Review

Posted on June 4, 2015

The Coalition Wednesday (3) wrote Council Chairman Phil Mendelson (also the other Members and the Mayor), asking that a section of the massive budget support bill for the coming year be dropped before the upcoming final vote for lack of any public input.

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OMG: Text messages sent by D.C. officials sneak By FOI laws

Posted on April 24, 2013

From DCist:

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D.C. government agencies: Kinda open, kinda not

Posted on March 15, 2013

From DCist:

It's been almost two years since the D.C. Open Meetings Act took effect, instituting new requirements that all city bodies and agencies had to follow to ensure that the public had as much access to their work as possible. But how well are those agencies doing in complying with the law?

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2013 D.C. Open Government Summit March 13

Posted on March 4, 2013

From D.C. Open Government Coalition:

Celebrating Sunshine Week 2013, the D.C. Open Government Coalition will present its second annual “D.C. Open Government Summit” Wednesday, March 13.

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D.C. Open Government Coalition FOIA lawsuit prompts change in D.C. Council email policies

Posted on January 28, 2013

Council changes rules, issues new interpretation to settle FOIA case

D.C. Councilmembers and staff cannot avoid the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) by doing business on personal, rather than government, email accounts, the Council of the District of Columbia agreed [January 23] in settling a lawsuit brought by the D.C. Open Government Coalition.

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Where is the D.C. Council’s email transparency?

Posted on October 29, 2012

Editorial from The Washington Post:

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D.C. Open Government Coalition sues D.C. Council over use of personal email accounts

Posted on October 17, 2012

From DCist:

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DC police won’t provide 911 call of shooting inside conservative Christian lobbying group

Posted on September 25, 2012

From The Washington Post:

WASHINGTON — The D.C. police department is refusing to release a copy of a 911 call made after a shooting at the headquarters of a conservative Christian lobbying group, even though such recordings are treated as public records in many other jurisdictions.

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DC adopts federal FOIA fees test

Posted on August 27, 2012

From D.C. Open Government Coalition:

Courts awarding attorney’s fees to prevailing plaintiffs in D.C. Freedom of Information Act cases should follow the same model as the federal courts, the District of Columbia Court of Appeals held Aug. 23.

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