Mask Mandates (Office of the Governor - Vermont)
| Multi Request | Mask Mandates |
| Submitted | Aug. 25, 2021 |
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Communications
From: Emma North-Best
To Whom It May Concern:
Pursuant to the Vermont Public Records Act, I hereby request the following records:
Emails, memos, letters, documents and other records discussing or mentioning implemented or proposed mask mandate policies, as well as discussions regarding their expiration or termination between January 1, 2020 and the present.
I am a member of the news media and request classification as such. I have previously written about the government and its activities, with some reaching over 100,000 readers in outlets such as Gizmodo, MuckRock, Motherboard, Property of the People, Unicorn Riot, and The Outline, among others. As such, as I have a reasonable expectation of publication and my editorial and writing skills are well established. In addition, I discuss and comment on the files online and make them available through non-profits such as the library Internet Archive and the journalist non-profit MuckRock, disseminating them to a large audience. While my research is not limited to this, a great deal of it, including this, focuses on the activities and attitudes of the government itself. As such, it is not necessary for me to demonstrate the relevance of this particular subject in advance.
As my primary purpose is to inform about government activities by reporting on it and making the raw data available, I request that fees be waived.
The requested documents will be made available to the general public, and this request is not being made for commercial purposes.
In the event that there are fees, I would be grateful if you would inform me of the total charges in advance of fulfilling my request. I would prefer the request filled electronically, by e-mail attachment if available or CD-ROM if not.
Thank you in advance for your anticipated cooperation in this matter. I look forward to receiving your response to this request within 3 business days, as the statute requires.
Sincerely,
Emma North-Best
From: Office of the Governor - Vermont
Hi Emma - I have forwarded your request to our records officer, Karen Pallas, cc'd here. Thank you. Jaye
From: Office of the Governor - Vermont
Good Morning Emma:
I hope this email finds you well and I apologize for the delay in responding to your request.
We are in receipt of your records request below and are in the process of searching for any responsive records.
Thank you for your patience.
Karen
From: Muckrock Staff
To Whom It May Concern:
I wanted to follow up on the following Vermont Public Records Act request, copied below, and originally submitted on Aug. 25, 2021. Please let me know when I can expect to receive a response.
Thanks for your help, and let me know if further clarification is needed.
From: Office of the Governor - Vermont
Good Afternoon Emma:
First, I have attached responses released to others with requests similar to yours.
Secondly, we are currently reviewing a more limited search for records responsive to your request.
Thank you again for your patience.
Karen
From: Muckrock Staff
To Whom It May Concern:
I wanted to follow up on the following Vermont Public Records Act request, copied below, and originally submitted on Aug. 25, 2021. Please let me know when I can expect to receive a response.
Thanks for your help, and let me know if further clarification is needed.
From: Office of the Governor - Vermont
Good Afternoon Emma -
I'm checking on status of any additional records.
Thank you for your patience.
Karen
-
~WRD0000
From: Muckrock Staff
To Whom It May Concern:
I wanted to follow up on the following Vermont Public Records Act request, copied below, and originally submitted on Aug. 25, 2021. Please let me know when I can expect to receive a response.
Thanks for your help, and let me know if further clarification is needed.
From: Muckrock Staff
To Whom It May Concern:
I wanted to follow up on the following Vermont Public Records Act request, copied below, and originally submitted on Aug. 25, 2021. Please let me know when I can expect to receive a response.
Thanks for your help, and let me know if further clarification is needed.
From: Office of the Governor - Vermont
Dear Emma:
We have received your request for public records dated August 25, 2021 for emails, memos, letters, documents and other records discussing or mentioning implemented or proposed mask mandate policies, as well as discussions regarding their expiration or termination between January 1, 2020 and the present.
As a partial response to your request, to date we have sent you on September 29, 2021.
Except as set forth herein, attached please find all other records responsive to your request.
Certain records have been withheld or redacted to the extent they are exempt from disclosure under 1 V.S.A. 317(c)(4), including those to or from the Governor or the Governor's staff prepared for the purpose of making decisions and formulating policy regarding the State's response to COVID-19, specifically regarding the use of facial coverings 1 V.S.A. 317(c)(25) relating to access codes, the disclosure of which would threaten the security of state information technology communications systems.
As the records custodian, I certify, as required by 1 VSA 318(a)(2), that I consider the redacted and withheld materials to be exempt from disclosure. You have the right to appeal, as explained in 1 VSA 318, to Jason Gibbs, Chief of Staff, relative to my certification of the records as exempt.
Sincerely,
Karen Pallas
Records Officer
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~WRD0000
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