Michigan Legislature: Bills focus on roads, transparency
Limits on transparency in government and the germs of plans to fund road improvements began emerging in bills introduced by members of the state House of Representatives and Senate last week. One bill...
View ArticleTransparency needed for S.C. body-worn cameras
Unresponsive democratic governments fail. One deadly feature of such governments is a lack of transparency. When leaders decided citizens didn’t need to know about the workings of government, citizens...
View ArticleOpenGov launches data insights tool
California-based OpenGov has launched a new data insights tool that will work with its existing government transparency software and aims to provide government administrators with a clearer view into...
View ArticleNew city websites facilitate transparency
The city of Atlanta has announced the creation of three new websites that will give residents access to financial and departmental data. The three websites, Data Atlanta portal, Atlanta Budget...
View ArticleEmails on private devices, FOIA issue goes back to court
llinois law says government officials' emails about taxpayer business are public records for all to see. But what if they're sent from private accounts or personal cellphones?read more
View ArticleN.J. judge: Police videos may soon be 'shielded in secrecy'
Public access to footage from police dashboard cameras and body cameras in New Jersey may be in jeopardy if an appellate court ruling in June is allowed to stand, warns Middlesex County state Superior...
View ArticleEditorial: Public shut out in Ohio
When Ohioans find their access to government thwarted and sue to assert their open-government rights, the odds are stacked against them in the Ohio Supreme Court. So finds a recent analysis by the...
View ArticleVermont Secretary of State plans transparency tour
Vermont Secretary of State Jim Condos plans a third biennial "Transparency Tour." The tour will stop at 12 locations across the state to discuss Vermont’s public records and open meeting laws with...
View ArticleEditorial: New York law hides police misconduct from the public
The uniquely restrictive New York State law that is used to conceal the disciplinary histories of police officers — even some who have committed crimes — reared its head again last week in misconduct...
View ArticleCalifornia's approval of funding bill continues State Bar reforms
Gov. Jerry Brown has signed the State Bar of California’s annual dues bill, allowing the agency to collect dues and stay in business another year. But mandates under Senate Bill 387 include new...
View ArticleFlorida Democrats demand map-drawing transparency
Florida Democrats are demanding the public be allowed "real time" access into the behind-the-scenes process of map drawing being conducted by House and Senate staff in preparation for next week's...
View ArticleSF’s Prop. splits allies over open government
It’s typically impossible to find any San Francisco politician or community group opposed to more openness in government, but Proposition E has managed to do just that.read more
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NFOIC Names New Officers/Board Members at 2015 Annual FOI Summit
News Release October 11, 2015 Contact: Dan Bevarly • 239.823.1811dbevarly@nfoic.org read more
View ArticleD.C. lawmakers look at how to fix the city’s troubled contracting process
District lawmakers this week considered two proposals to overhaul the city’s procurement process, which they said has long been marred by corruption and poor transparency.read more
View ArticleLawmakers concerned about UNC system board’s closed meetings
The University of North Carolina system’s Board of Governors will meet Friday to hear a report on faculty compensation and take action on a legislative request – two weeks after giving controversial...
View ArticleEditorial: America’s states are flunking the ethics test
When the class average is a D or lower, most of the pupils are probably witless dolts. All the worse for American taxpayers when those dullards are the 50 state governments — specifically, their laws...
View ArticleAre the government's commitments on criminal justice open data enough?
The growing importance of criminal justice data in the context of government transparency was highlighted last month when the White House released its Open Government National Action Plan (NAP) to the...
View ArticleTreasury rolls out open beta for new USASpending.gov
The Treasury Department rolled out an open beta of the new USASpending.gov, coming one step closer to meeting the requirements of the Digital Accountability and Transparency Act.read more
View ArticleEDITORIAL: Pitbull's secret Florida contract a slap to the public
Mr. Worldwide is living up to his name by bringing some global attention to Florida's latest snub of the public's right to know. The International Business Times noted in a story last week that the...
View ArticleEDITORIAL: Massachusetts public records reform can't wait
A final redraft of a long-in-the-works bill to improve access to public records in Massachusetts could be introduced to the House floor soon. It's about time. People connected to the process are...
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