We cringe before every legislative session begins because we know a handful of legislators will propose new laws exempting access to public information.
Such will be the case in January when lawmakers convene for the 91st General Assembly.
Sen. Gary Stubblefield, R-Branch, filed Senate Bill 12 that, if passed, would exempt public schools — ranging from prekindergarten to state-funded universities — from releasing emergency and security records under the state’s Freedom of Information Act.
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A hearing on whether the state's transportation planning process should have fewer hearings has brought out complaints from some state lawmakers.
Reps. Sherry Roberts, R-West Greenwich, and Jared Nunes, D-Coventry, on Tuesday wrote separately of their concerns that a proposal to streamline the planning process would badly curtail public involvement.
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Read More… from Lawmakers speak out against proposal to ease public-hearing requirements
law firm representing law enforcement agencies across the state has issued advice to at least several of the agencies that they have the right to withhold many records from public view, including agency budgets, payroll, contracts and inventory.
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Read More… from Law Enforcement Agencies Assert Many Records Are Private – Even Budgets
Leonard Riley Jr. knows his First Amendment rights, and his rights to public information, and he knows when they’ve been violated.
Dissatisfied with the management policies at the Medical University of South Carolina, Riley and other activists organized a silent protest of the university’s board of trustees meetings last fall. He said they had intended to go to every meeting until their complaints were acknowledged.
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Uncovering information that should be available to the public has become increasingly difficult under the presidency of Barack Obama, an Associated Press bureau chief says. In some cases, it surpasses the secrecy of the George W. Bush administration.
The White House's penchant for secrecy does not just apply to the federal government, according to AP's Washington bureau chief, Sally Buzbee. During a joint meeting of news editors, she stated that the same kind of behavior is starting to appear in state and local governments.
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Read More… from Obama administration ‘blocking’ information from the press – AP
