D.C. Open Government Coalition plans its first meeting

From Melissa Davenport, executive director of D.C. Open Government Coalition:

Please save the date for the first organizational meeting of the D.C. Open Government Coalition:

When: Tuesday, June 23rd, at 5:30 p.m.
Where: Ropes & Gray offices (located at Metro Center, 700 12th St. NW, Suite 900)

The Coalition will be working to increase transparency and access to government information in the District of Columbia. We welcome anyone interested in helping to set the Coalition's initial agenda and look forward to your participation in refining our focus and thinking about how we can best have an impact in this area. We will also establish the Coalition's new Board of Directors.
In addition, at this meeting the Coalition will release its first publication, a citizens' guide to the D.C. Freedom of Information Act.

Please join us! And don't hesitate to be in touch with any questions or suggestions.

Nev. legislators urged to conduct business in public

The Nevada Legislature is exempt from state open meetings laws, but the Nevada Freedom of Information Coalition is hoping legislators will transcend the law in favor of transparency, San Jose Mercury News reported. The group is asking lawmakers to sign a pledge committing themselves to stronger open government laws and will post who does and does not sign the agreement.

An open government group on Thursday urged legislators to support greater transparency in government and to conduct more state business in public.

Nevada Freedom of Information Coalition president Thomas Mitchell said the group is asking state lawmakers to sign a pledge committing themselves to supporting stronger open meeting and public information laws, and to encouraging better online access to legislative votes and data on state spending.

"This is the public's right to know. If you're going to be citizen, if you're going to vote, if you're going to be involved, you need to know what's going on." Mitchell, the editor of the Las Vegas Review-Journal, said at a news conference. "Otherwise, we're left in the dark, we're left to guess, we're left to rely on leaks."

More here.

Romanoff honored for televising of House sessions

Andrew Romanoff, former Colorado House speaker, will receive the Sue O'Brien Award for Public Service from the Colorado FOI Council for his efforts to facilitate live coverage of House proceedings, the Examiner reported.

Former Colorado House Speaker Andrew Romanoff is being honored for putting House sessions on television.

Romanoff, a Denver Democrat, will be given the Sue O'Brien Award for Public Service by the Colorado Freedom of Information Council on Thursday.

Romanoff led a campaign to establish a nonprofit broadcasting organization to provide live, streaming video coverage of proceedings on the House floor.

More here.

Va. coalition explains FOI on YouTube

The Virginia Coalition for Open Government has posted a brief how-to video on using the state's Freedom of Information.

The video can be found on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ee597Zob2EE

Also, you can follow the coalition on Twitter: https://twitter.com/opengovva

And Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=47495844131

Penn. FOI director says state is in 'new era of openness'

The York Daily Record spoke with Kim de Bourbon, executive director of the Pennsylvania Freedom of Information Coalition, in honor of Sunshine Week. In regards to the state's 2-year-old right-to-know law, De Bourbon said, "For the first time, government agencies are being told they have not followed the law in denying access to records." For example, the Office of Open Records ruled that "a secretary's tape recording of a public meeting -- even if made only for the purposes of writing up the minutes -- is a public record and accessible to the public." She hopes that fees will be addressed in the future and that agencies will start providing records online via PDFs.

As part of Sunshine Week, a national effort to raise awareness of public records, the York Daily Record/Sunday News asked Kim de Bourbon, executive director of the Pennsylvania Freedom of Information Coalition, some questions about the state's new open records law, which is 21/2 months old.

More here.

Freedom of Information Foundation of Texas names new executive director

Keith Elkins, a veteran TV news journalist will lead the Freedom of Information Foundation of Texas, which has relocated to Austin and seeks to have a more active advocacy role, the "News McNabb" blog reported.

The Freedom of Information Foundation of Texas (FOIFT) is pleased to announce that Keith Elkins has been selected as the organization’s Executive Director. FOIFT recently relocated to Austin, after 30 years in Dallas, and is now embarking on a new mission to assume a more active and more visible role in advocating for, and preserving, open government.

“We are very pleased to have FOIFT’s office relocated to Texas’ Capital city where we believe we can make a more significant difference for the citizens of Texas. We are also very excited to announce the selection of a new Executive Director. After a lengthy search process our search committee unanimously recommended Keith Elkins as the best candidate to lead our organization in a new direction,” said President Laura Prather of Austin. “Keith has a deep understanding of and passion for the Public Information laws in Texas and draws from experience on both sides of the aisle on the issues of open government.”

More here.

Fla. commission lays out wish list for open government improvements

Florida's Commission on Open Government Reform released its 2009 report, which both assesses and offers recommendations on Sunshine Law issues, such as exemptions, fees, the impact of information technology, fiscal transparency, compliance and training.

More here.

Wisconsin FOI Council to celebrate 30 years

From the University of Wisconsin-Madison:

The Wisconsin Freedom of Information Council, a statewide nonprofit group devoted to protecting access to public meetings and records, will mark its 30th anniversary with a program at the University of Wisconsin-Madison on Monday, Oct. 13.

The program, hosted by the UW-Madison School of Journalism and Mass Communication, will include an address by Shirley Abrahamson, chief justice of the Wisconsin Supreme Court, on the importance of open government in Wisconsin.

The event, which runs from 4-5:30 p.m., is free and open to the public. It will be held in the Nafziger Conference Room on the fifth floor of Vilas Hall, 821 University Ave.

More here.

Conn. FOI Commission handling average of 72 monthly complaints

The Connecticut Freedom of Information Commission has seen a steady increase in the number of grievances filed. It expects to receive 864 by the end of the year. The commission attributes the increase to citizens being better educated about FOI laws and an increase in government secrecy. Private residents account for 70 percent of requests filed.

In December, when Fairfield First Selectman Ken Flatto removed the town Conservation Department from overseeing the largest development in town history, he did it behind closed doors.

In response, Kathryn Braun, a Fairfield attorney, helped draft a Freedom of Information complaint against the selectman for the Fairfield Friends of Open Space, a preservation group. She alleged the private meeting was illegal because it concerned matters meant for the public.

"We considered it a secret meeting in which government business was conducted," Braun said. "If you're going to change the structure of government, do it publicly."

Her complaint now is one of a record number before the state Freedom of Information Commission, which is hard-pressed to explain a cause for this year's increase.

More here.