open records laws

The Iowa Legislature has passed House File 706, a bill that would add a new exemption to keep Capitol security camera footage confidential. On the plus side, the bill raises fines for open meetings violations — from $100–$500 to $500–$2,500 — and increases penalties for knowing violations to $5,000–$12,500. It also requires…

A West Virginia bill that was set to make last-minute changes to the state’s freedom of information law, allowing more copy fees, longer delays, and more secrecy, died this month before it reached Gov. Patrick Morrisey’s desk. According to reporting from West Virginia Watch, House Bill 3412 passed out of the…

A recent study published in the Journal of Public Administration Research and Theory examined the role of regulatory bodies’ enforcement powers in building public trust. The research, conducted across several European countries, found that people showed slightly more trust in agencies regulating sectors like farming, banking, and health data when…

A bill clarifying aspects of Arkansas’ public meetings law has passed the Senate and is now heading to the governor’s desk. Senate Bill 227 specifies what city councils, quorum courts, and school boards can discuss outside of a public meeting. It also allows courts to nullify decisions made by a…

Journalists in the United Kingdom have become increasingly frustrated with roadblocks in acquiring public records, according to a study published in Journalism Practice.   Jingrong Tong of the University of Sheffield interviewed 31 journalists about their struggles to obtain government records, pointing to several key issues: lack of resources at government…

In Oklahoma, House Bill 2163, proposes the creation of a Public Access Counselor within the Office of the Attorney General to handle complaints related to denied public records.  According to reporting from the Oklahoma Voice, Republican House Rep. John Pfeiffer, R-Orlando, who authored the bill, said he hopes this will…

Citizen Documenters’ summaries of public meetings are more readable and useful to the public than agency meeting minutes, according to a study by Nina Kelly, a doctoral candidate at Wayne State University, published in the Journal of Civic Information.  The Documenters Network is a program started in 2018 by City…

Iowa House representatives are moving forward with legislation that aims to increase training for local officials on open meetings and public record laws, and to raise penalties for open meeting violations According to a report from Iowa Capital Dispatch, the passing of House File 706 marks the second year that…

The Utah Legislature has received the Society of Professional Journalists’ Black Hole Award, a dubious honor that highlights significant violations of the public’s right to know. The award was presented for two new laws, Senate Bill 277 and House Bill 69, passed in the 2025 General Session that alter how…

As we mark the 20th anniversary of Sunshine Week (March 16-22, 2025), which was born in Florida, David Cuillier, Brechner FOI Project’s director, highlights the troubling shift in the state’s approach to government transparency in a column for The Conversation. Started as Sunshine Sunday back in 2002, Cuillier notes that…

Federal agencies should improve the FOIA process by utilizing data tools more effectively to identify records to proactively post, according to a white paper issued Feb. 24 by the Data Working Group of the Chief FOIA Officers’ Council.  The working group interviewed representatives from 10 federal agencies to find that…

A new bill could bring public access back to the selection process for Florida’s public university and college presidents.  According to reporting from The Daytona Beach News- Journal, Republican state Sen. Alexis Calatayud and state rep. Michelle Salzman filed identical bills, SB 1726 and HB 1321, to remove the public…