MuckRock’s For the Record column goes to Louisiana to understand how a new proposed legislation would exclude a local government’s “active” negotiations in economic development projects.

This week’s For the Record tackles proposed state legislation in Colorado and Kentucky that would change how public records are accessed.

Appeals are a critical tool for records requesters who want government agencies to cough up their secrets, but what if an agency puts up its defense before you even know you’re in a disclosure fight?

Want to explore the cutting edge of public records, while helping reporters, researchers, and others get more out of these critical laws? Apply to be MuckRock’s Sam Whitmore Media Survey Fellow and spend eight months with transparency as your beat, tracking changing laws, developing new FOIA strategies, and working on reporting and resources that will help all requesters.

For the past year, MuckRock has been working on an appeal tool to help anyone understand public records rejections, see their options, and file a successful appeal. Now, we’re asking for FOIA hounds everywhere to help out: Send us your successful appeals!