Sep 14 2015

‘Alarming’ delay in Sunshine Law training for Gov. Scott, Cabinet

A little more "sunshine" in state government is proving tough to accomplish.

Project analyzes police misconduct record laws in all 50 states May 14, 2021

A project funded by the Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting finds that most states keep police misconduct records secret or difficult to access. But 15 states have laws allowing such records to be available to the public. That’s an increase from a few years ago. The project analyzed police misconduct record laws in all 50...More

News Leaders Association honors First Amendment Award winners for advancing Freedom of Information principles May 12, 2021

Journalists uncovered decades of New York police disciplinary records, detailed a university’s handling of sexual misconduct claims, and investigated deaths inside detention facilities. Their efforts have been recognized by the News Leaders Association, which announced its 2021 First Amendment Award recipients on May 12, 2021. The awards recognize “the best journalism advancing Freedom of Information...More

Rules on releasing police body camera footage vary; nine states are most restrictive, The Hill says May 12, 2021

Alabama, Arizona, Kansas, Maine, Missouri, North Carolina, South Carolina, Texas and Wyoming have the most restrictive laws regarding the disclosure of police body camera recordings. That’s according to a May 10, 2021, article in The Hill. “With no federal requirements on releasing police videos, states often differ in their approach to making the footage publicly...More

NFOIC supports New York coalition’s effort to mandate the posting of public meeting minutes May 4, 2021

The National Freedom of Information Coalition has endorsed a letter written by the New York Coalition for Open Government, urging the state to mandate that minutes of public meetings be posted online within two weeks of a meeting. “It is important to have a written record of who attended a meeting; what motions were made...More

In partnership with Uncovered, NFOIC provides public records training to cold-case solvers May 4, 2021

The National Freedom of Information Coalition conducted a three-part “Public Records Bootcamp” training program in partnership with Uncovered: A Cold Case Platform. The Bootcamp, conducted three Thursday evenings in April 2021, each engaged more than 40 participants interested in using public records to help solve cold cases. “Working with NFOIC to provide this level of...More

Loophole allows Wisconsin legislators to destroy emails; ‘Obviously it’s troubling,’ FOI council leader says April 30, 2021

Unlike other public officials in Wisconsin, state legislators can destroy documents to avoid records requests, according to a report by the Racine County Eye. State legislators must comply with the state’s Open Records Law — if they have the requested documents in their possession. There’s nothing preventing them from destroying documents, and one state representative...More