State Supreme Court sends MCCA question back to appeals
The Michigan Court of Appeals will be asked to reconsider whether the Michigan Catastrophic Claims Association is a public body subject to the state's Freedom of Information Act.read more
View ArticleHaslam defends recommendation for advisers to avoid email
Tennesse Gov. Bill Haslam is defending a practice among his outsourcing advisers to avoid email correspondence to prevent information getting out to the public.read more
View ArticleVirginia data portal aimed at improving transparency with police, public
Hampton Police launched an "open data portal" that allows anyone to access various types of information on its website. The portal includes crime statistics, officer-involved shooting information, a...
View ArticlePolitical donors would not have to ID employer under bill
Those giving money to governors, lawmakers and other candidates would no longer have to disclose who they work for under a rewritten campaign finance bill that is rocketing through the Wisconsin...
View ArticleCity: No more texting for Sun Prairie officials?
City of Sun Prairie employees and elected officials won’t be able to text on city-owned cell phones under a new proposed policy. City officials want to crack down on texting because they say it’s...
View ArticleLetter calls for comprehensive data on police shootings
A coalition committed to government openness and accountability are calling on Congress to pass legislation aimed at improving police transparency. The letter calls for congress to pass the Police...
View ArticleMaine Legislature shields staff salaries from Open Checkbook disclosure
State employees working for the Maine Legislature have had their salary and benefits information shielded from a state-operated, public database that provides the same information on all other state...
View ArticleGov. Raimondo's staff to meet with open government groups
Members of Rhode Island Gov. Gina Raimondo's administration will meet with representatives of five open government groups Tuesday afternoon at the State House to discuss recent criticism about a lack...
View ArticleEditorial: Do Delaware’s secrets pose a security risk?
The legal structure of a Delaware Limited Liability Company (LLC) grants secrecy to its members, investors, and sources of financing when conducting business. Because of this lack of transparency is...
View ArticleDEP recordkeeping needs to improve, Pennsylvania officials say
On one of the otherwise bare walls of John Quigley's office hangs a banner: "Bureau of Integrity & Transparency." The Department of Environmental Protection secretary makes a point of mentioning...
View ArticleAfter Schock scandal, House curtails wasteful spending with disclosure and...
The U.S. House Committee on Administration has moved forward with new rules on how members of Congress spend taxpayer dollars on auto mileage, air travel, office decoration and more. The resolution...
View ArticleVirginia reporters school state officials on open records laws
State officials in Virginia scrambling to keep documents from the press. The governor’s office directing an agency to misrepresent open records laws. Local reporters pushing back at agency flacks...
View ArticleR.I. open-government advocates press issue with governor's chief of staff
For Sheila Mullowney, executive editor of the Newport Daily News, a recent conversation with one of her newspaper's reporters crystallized "the systemic problem" that brought her — and other...
View ArticlePasadena police union weighs in on body camera policy
The Pasadena Police Officers Association wants the city to use its existing policies related to audio and in-car video recordings when it places body-cameras on its officers next year.read more
View ArticleSome governments make public records less accessible
Some Colorado governments are modifying their data, making it difficult — or prohibitively expensive — for taxpayers and journalists to determine who is paid the highest salary or how public money is...
View ArticleCoalition joins others calling on D.C. Council to reject mayor's proposal to...
DCOGC President Kevin Goldberg testified to the D.C. legislature Wednesday this week on the latest proposals from the mayor that would limit public access to police body camera video, calling them...
View ArticleEditorial: Twitter's encouraging promise to "reboot" transparency
During the keynote address at Flight, Twitter’s 2015 Developer Conference, Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey made a commitment to “reboot” Twitter’s relationship with the transparency sector. Even more...
View ArticlePennsylvania Senate approves open records changes
A bill that would change Pennsylvania's Right to Know law to require additional disclosures for state-related universities and curb some records access for prison inmates passed the Senate in a...
View ArticlePittsburgh councilman calls bill passage a "new era of transparency"
Pittsburgh councilman Dan Gilman’s campaign finance and ethics reform bills received final approval from the City Council this week. He said the bills are part of a “new era of transparency” in city...
View ArticleSnyder signs Michigan civil asset forfeiture laws requiring more...
Michigan is making law enforcement agencies report more details of their civil asset forfeiture programs and making it a little bit harder for them keep property they confiscate from residents.read more
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