Check this page regularly for a collection of the most interesting and informative articles related to public records issues.
Backroom Deals in Our Backyards: How Government Secrecy Harms Our Communities—and the Local Heroes Fighting Back
How Government Secrecy Harms Our Communities—and the Local Heroes Fighting Back.
A groundbreaking look at how ordinary people are fighting back against their local and state governments to keep their communities safe, by an award-winning journalist.
“We ignore the use of secrecy at the state and local level at our peril.” —from the introduction
A work of riveting narrative nonfiction based on years of original reporting, Backroom Deals in Our Backyards tells the story of five “accidental activists”—people from across the United States who started questioning why their local and state governments didn’t protect them from issues facing their communities and why there was a frightening lack of transparency surrounding the way these issues were resolved.
Iowa House votes to increase penalties, training for open records, meetings laws
Iowa House votes to increase penalties, training for open records, meetings laws
By: Robin Opsahl, Iowa Capitol Dispatch, March 24, 2025
The Iowa House passed legislation Monday to increase training for local officials on open meetings and information laws and raising penalties for violations.
“We need to hold our mayor and city council accountable,” Gosa said. They do have some things to answer for, and we’ve been dealing with this for a long time.”
Bill criminalizing ‘doxxing’ in Georgia advances in spite of free speech concerns
By: Jill Nolin, Georgia Recorder, March 25, 2025
An attempt to crack down on so-called doxxing has been met with concerns from attorneys and First Amendment advocates who say the proposal is too broad and would hamper free speech.
Sarah Brewerton-Palmer, the foundation’s president, said the doxxing issue is legitimate and needs to be addressed. But she argued that the proposal being considered is overly broad, particularly with the lower-level offense that includes situations where the offender demonstrated reckless disregard. If passed, she said the bill would have a chilling effect on First Amendment protected speech – and could even ensnare journalists.
“Senate Bill 27 presents little realistic likelihood of remedying those ills, while exposing innocent speakers and writers to arrest and prosecution that could be triggered by nothing more than publishing an already-prominent person’s name,” she said.
Shining a light on public records and open access
By: Niki Kelly, March 21, 2025
Shining a light on public records and open access.
It’s Sunshine Week, which isn’t just about journalists. The nonpartisan collaboration of civic, media, education, government and private sectors shines a light on the importance of public records and open government.
And all citizens have a right to both.
Lawmakers are considering major changes to Utah's open records law
By: Annie Knox, Andrew Adams and Courtney Johns, KSL-TV, February 11, 2025
In a major change, lawmakers are discussing removing a key test used to settle disputes over public records that weighs the public’s benefit and interest in learning the information against privacy concerns.
When cities, police departments or other government agencies grant requests for records, that public interest factor is a common reason behind the decision. Taking it away would tip the scale toward secrecy, said Reymann, who’s representing the Utah Media Coalition in negotiations with lawmakers on the measures.
Also under consideration by McKell and his colleagues: preventing those fighting for records from recouping attorney fees if they win in court and a judge determines the government agency’s legal position was unreasonable.
Gov. DeSantis keeps Florida in the dark by obstructing government transparency | Opinion
Gov. DeSantis keeps Florida in the dark by obstructing government transparency.
There was a time when Florida set the gold standard for open government. Our Sunshine laws were the envy of the nation, a model for accountability, transparency and public access to information about what our government gets up to. Those days are over. Today, Florida is sliding into secrecy at an alarming pace, and the blame rests squarely with Gov. Ron DeSantis and the state agencies following his lead.
N.J. Supreme Court to mull challenge to ruling that made some police records public
The New Jersey Supreme Court will weigh whether internal affairs records of police misconduct should be public under the common law right of access — as an appellate panel recently decreed — or hidden from public scrutiny if officers successfully get their criminal records expunged.
Are lobbyist emails to lawmakers public records? A PA court will decide.
Angela Couloumbis, Spotlight PA, December 20, 2024
The case pits the news organization against the Pennsylvania Senate, which last year denied a request under the state’s Right-to-Know Law for emails between lawmakers and a group of lobbyists.
Spotlight PA had requested the correspondence as part of its investigation into allegations of political corruption in the city of DuBois, which had employed lobbyists and received generous state grants.
The state Senate swiftly and summarily denied the request, asserting that emails do not fall under one of the 19 categories of records that the legislature must make public under the law.
Spotlight PA appealed, arguing that a clause within the Right-to-Know Law provides public access to lobbyist-lawmaker correspondence. The case is now before Commonwealth Court.
Fee Increases for Video Records
Fee Increases for Video Records:
Gov. Mike DeWine of Ohio signed new legislation that will allow law enforcement agencies to charge $750 for processing video that is a public record. This includes a variety of police videos such as officers' dashboard cameras, body cameras, and jail surveillance.
Opioid Database Available
Opioid Database Available
Johns Hopkins University has made available to the public an archive of millions of documents created by opioid manufacturers and related companies, hosted by the UCSF Library in collaboration with Johns Hopkins University.
Bill aims to streamline access to public records, but opponents worry about cost
Bill aims to streamline access to public records, but opponents worry about cost.
A bill to streamline the way state agencies respond to public records requests will more effectively administer the right to know, protected in the state Constitution, said the sponsor.
Amid an uptick in inquiries from outside groups, Gardiner-area schools make information requests public.
Public records requests posted to the Gardiner school's website show requests are being made by people and organizations outside of the district.
Maine School Administrative District 11 is now placing all public record requests online, as officials aim to cut down on the amount of time spent responding to such requests, which are now coming mainly from right-of-center groups from outside the district.
Superintendent Patricia Hopkins told the Gardiner-area school board last week that the decision was made so members of the public could see the types of requests that have been made and determine if their question has already been answered.
Several school districts across the state, including MSAD 11, have faced an uptick in public record requests made by right-leaning political groups under the state’s Freedom of Access Act on topics and policies relating to gender identity, sexuality and sexual orientation. Though the requests are public information, schools rarely post them online.
By doing so, the district hopes to cut back on duplicative requests.
INFORMATION YOU CAN TRUST
Verify a doctor's license
Verify a doctor's professional background information
Verify if a doctor has had disciplinary actions by State Medical Boards
Patients aren’t completely helpless when it comes to identifying ill-intentioned doctors. One resource is DocInfo.org, which is managed by the Federation of State Medical Boards, a nonprofit representing all medical licensing boards in the U. S. On the site, you can search the educational and professional backgrounds of more than a million U. S. doctors, as well as see any action taken against them by state medical boards. “Before you schedule your next checkup, make sure your doctor checks out,” the website reads.
Your Right to Know: A fund to fight government secrecy.
n 2022, the Wisconsin Freedom of Information Council created a designated fund to help cover legal costs associated with fighting to pry records into the public domain. Called simply the WFOIC Legal Fund, it has never had more than $4,000 in its coffers. But the council, of which I am a member, has put what money that is there to good use.
WA media seek overdue fix to public records rules | The Free Press Initiative. Seventeen media outlets are asking AG Bob Ferguson to revise the state’s Model Public Records Act Rules.
Another is the rise of a political culture that cares more about controlling the narrative, and giving cover to special interests, than keeping citizens fully informed.
Nonprofits Serving Californians With Disabilities Must Make Records Public Under New State Law
By Chris Egusa, October 2 2024
Regional nonprofits that serve Californians with developmental disabilities will now be required to make their records publicly available on request as part of a bill Gov. Gavin Newsom signed into law on Saturday.
Spokane Now Requires A Notary For Some Public Records Requests — ‘A Waste Of Tax Dollars,’ Critics Say
By Daniel Walters, September 30, 2024
New barrier highlights difficulty of Washington’s law limiting use of public records for commercial purposes
So, when “Clark Gable” requested a list of names, salaries and job titles of “all city employees including law enforcement officers” this year, the city clerk’s office quickly realized it was a fake name.
Accurate information requires public records open
Publish in, Oregon Chronicle Guest Column, updated Sep 26, 2024
Even in this era of disinformation and divisiveness, Oregonians are nearly unanimous in their desire to have accurate information about our government.
That’s not exciting to most people. Oregonians may not care about public records law — but they care about the results of it.
A new FOI-built database monitors ‘wandering officers.’
The National Police Index is a data tool showing police employment history data obtained from state police training and certification boards across the U.S. All but one state has such a system.
Access to this data helps show potential “wandering officers,” and is intended for use by residents, journalists, researchers, attorneys, and other stakeholders. Information about the age, source, and other specifics for each state is available on each page.
Tennessee is getting away with delaying access to public records, sometimes for years.
by Deborah Fisher, of the Tennessee Lookout September 15, 2024
Late last year, the city of Memphis wrote a $7,419.68 check to reimburse the attorney fees of journalist Marc Perrusquia rather than risk losing a public records lawsuit.
For 2½ years, the city had sent Perrusquia monthly emails, telling him that it was still working on his public records request and trying to decide whether they could withhold parts or all of the records.