CHARLESTON — A split West Virginia Senate approved a bill Thursday that would exempt wage information for state contractors under the state Freedom of Information Act. Senate Bill 474 would keep private certain information about employees hired to work on state construction jobs through the West Virginia Jobs Act. The information would include names and […]
Read More… from West Virginia Senate approves non-disclosure bill
A Charleston attorney predicts the state Supreme Court’s ruling will have a “chilling effect” on West Virginia’s residents seeking public documents through FOIA requests.
The 4-1 ruling, issued April 10, effectively clears the way for government organizations to charge hourly fees to fulfill requests for public documents filed through the Freedom of Information Act.
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Read More… from Charleston attorney criticizes Supreme Court allowance of FOIA fees
From The Charleston Gazette: WINFIELD, W.Va. — A Putnam County website publisher was acquitted Friday of the charge of willful disruption of government process after an incident involving the county’s health department in April.
Mark Hallburn, who runs the website www.putnamlive.com, was arrested after visiting the Putnam County Health Department to inquire about FOIA requests Hallburn had filed with the agency.
Visit The Charleston Gazette for more.
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From NFOIC: A few state FOIA and local open government news items selected from many of interest that we might or might not have drawn attention to earlier in the week. While you're at it, be sure to check out State FOIA Friday Archives.
Indy district seeks records on takeover of schools
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A few state FOIA and local open government news items selected from many of interest that we might or might not have drawn attention to earlier in the week. While you're at it, be sure to check out State FOIA Friday Archives.
Advocates, journalists honored for supporting open government
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From WVGazette: CHARLESTON, W.Va. — For years, West Virginia's Open Meetings Act has allowed state agencies, boards and commissions to call emergency meetings on a moment's notice — but until now, it never defined what constitutes an emergency.
That changes with passage of HB2747, which spells out circumstances when emergency meetings may be called.
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Read More… from Open-government law now defines ’emergency’ meeting
Read More… from NFOIC’s State FOIA Friday for April 5, 2013
Opinion from the Logan Banner:
When West Virginia House Minority Leader Tim Armstead, R-Kanawha, spoke at the West Virginia Press Association’s annual legislative breakfast last week he said West Virginia’s Freedom of Information Act law needed to be more open to allow citizens and journalists even more access to documents from public bodies.
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From Journal-News.net:
CHARLESTON – Currently in West Virginia, the names and addresses of concealed weapons licensees is public information. But a bill introduced to the House of Delegates on Tuesday could change that.
HB2911 proposes to exempt from the Freedom of Information Act records pertaining to the issuance, renewal, expiration, suspension or revocation of a license to carry a concealed weapon, according to the legislation.
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