The Nevada Press Association is applauding the efforts of the Nevada Open Government Coalition, one of the newest members of the National Freedom of Information Coalition. The Nevada Open Government Coalition “had a significant impact” in the 2021 session of the Nevada Legislature. The coalition and the press association advocated for amendments that removed a…
Tag: Nevada
Special session raises coronavirus concern in Nevada capital
A day before the Nevada Legislature convened for a special budget session, Kelly Crompton, a lobbyist for the city of Las Vegas, boarded a Southwest flight and headed north to Carson City. Air travel amid the coronavirus pandemic felt wrong, Compton wrote in a Twitter post . But as a consolation, she observed that half…
An hourlong copy of Las Vegas police body-camera footage will cost the public $280
An hourlong copy of Las Vegas police body-camera footage will cost the public $280 starting next month, a fee that far outpaces other local law enforcement agencies in Nevada. The new rate is almost six times greater than what the Metropolitan Police Department charged when it launched its body-camera program in 2014. The department raised…
FOI/Open Government coalitions from Pennsylvania and Nevada join NFOIC
For Immediate Release Contact: Daniel Bevarly Executive Director, NFOIC dbevarly@nfoic.org 352-294-7082 (02/12/2020) The Pennsylvania Freedom of Information Coalition and the Nevada Coalition for Open Government become NFOIC’s newest state FOI alliances. Now, 37 states and the District of Columbia make up the National Freedom of Information Coalition, whose mission is to make sure state and…
Nevada Legislators Are Exempt From Public Records Laws — For Now
Nevada legislators make public records law, but it turns out they don’t have to follow it.
That could change during this legislative session. Senate Bill 170 would make the Nevada Legislature subject to public records laws, and would expand the kinds of information that can be requested.
But will legislators go for it? Will they pass a bill that exposes them to greater scrutiny?
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Nevada legislators exempt from public records law
The ability to access public records is an essential tool in a democracy. Public records give the public a peek at truths that are sometimes never told during public meetings.
But, according to the Legislative Counsel Bureau of Nevada, Nevada’s legislators are exempt from certain public records requests.
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Nevada Governor’s text messages should be made public, experts say
Nevada Gov. Brian Sandoval has weak legal and public policy grounds to defend his decision to withhold text messages between himself and the leadership of NV Energy, according to open government experts, if the examples in other states and cities were to be followed in Nevada.
Courts and attorneys general in at least 18 states have addressed the issue, of which “decisions have overwhelmingly favored public access,” according to a paper written by Joey Senat, a professor who teaches media law at Oklahoma State University.
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Appointees to key positions in Nevada remain little-known to taxpayers
Nevada's Public Employees Retirement System, with more than $34 billion in assets, is overseen by a panel of seven public-sector workers appointed by the governor.
But as a recent nationwide report from the Center for Public Integrity and Global Integrity pointed out, Nevada taxpayers don't know much about the individuals charged with managing the state retirement system for nearly all state and local government employees.
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Government Websites in 5 Cities and Counties Win Vision Internet “What’s Next” Awards for Online Innovation
Vision Internet, innovators in online government, today announced the winners of its inaugural “What’s Next” Awards competition, which recognizes local government websites for excellence in five categories: transparency, citizen engagement, online innovation, green gov and visual impact.
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Editorial: Championing transparency – Open government is good government, and it starts with elections
Secretary of State Ross Miller has found himself oddly under fire for aggressively upholding campaign disclosure laws, odd because some of his critics are self-professed champions of government transparency.
Miller, a Democrat, has been targeted for suing the Republican-aligned Alliance for America’s Future, a Virginia group that refused to register as a political action committee despite buying nearly $200,000 in political ads in 2010 supporting Brian Sandoval’s campaign for governor.
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