Most requesters that file in Massachusetts have noted difficulty in obtaining records from the state. The Bay State has often been ranked as one of the worst in terms public access to information, and that’s in no small part owing to the fact that three branches of government - the judiciary, the legislature, and the office of the governor - are exempt from the public records law.

Legislative bodies in four states have made themselves exempt from public record laws. Despite their roles in literally enacting those laws, they are not held to the same standards of transparency as the rest of the governmental bodies in those states.

In light of the groups 40th anniversary celebration at the end of this month, Wisconsin Freedom of Information Council Co-Vice President Christa Westerberg sat down with MuckRock to talk about the group’s decades promoting transparency in the Badger State.

California Governor Jerry Brown signed a handful of bills this week including new legislation that increases transparency within local jurisdictions in California. In addition to the two new laws we wrote about earlier this week SB-978 was signed, which requires law enforcement agencies to publish their “training, policies, practices, and operating procedures.”

With more than 500 public records exemptions in the state of Tennessee, the new Open Records Ad Hoc Committee is taking a look at the ever-growing list, and addressing its points of contention.