9283 Tags

news

10 Articles

New bill in Oregon would require requesters to state intended use for records

by Jessie Gomez

January 14, 2019

The 2019 Legislative session is set to begin later this month, but legislators in Oregon already have a hefty number of public records related bills to look forward too. Although positive reforms are included in the list of proposed bills, one piece of legislation is causing a stir among transparency advocates.

Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press has a belated gift for records requesters

by Jessie Gomez

January 08, 2019

The new year is looking a lot brighter for public records requesters in search of legal help. Last week, the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press announced their new and improved state open records guides, which give an easy-to-read overview of state public records law.

Holiday hangover: find out what changed in public records laws while you were gone

by Jessie Gomez

January 04, 2019

The new year is in full-swing, and public records advocates are getting ready for another year of FOIA and state records law fun. The end of the year usually marks an eventful time full of joy, rest, and relaxation. Yet some jurisdictions decided to make some changes at the eleventh hour, both for the better and the worse. But don’t worry, we compiled a list of FOIA related changes that happened over the holidays so you don’t miss a thing.

This week’s FOIA round-up: Tax returns reveals Trump’s inherited fortune, dash video informs Chicago cop’s murder trial, and Pennsylvania withholds decade-old report investigating sexual abuse

by Paxtyn Merten

October 05, 2018

In this week’s FOIA round-up, tax records show “self-made billionaire” President Donald Trump received hundreds of millions of dollars from his father, the video of Laquan McDonald’s death at the hands of a Chicago cop - released by a public records lawsuit - is central to the officer’s murder trial, and the Pennsylvania Attorney General who’s pushing the Catholic Church to be more transparent about child sexual abuse won’t release a decade-old report investigating allegations of sexual assault against a former state college administrator.

Law enforcement agencies in California will soon be legally obliged to post their guidelines online

by Jessie Gomez

October 05, 2018

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.”