Legislature Archives - Page 34 of 37 - Tennessee Coalition for Open Government

5 Mar, 2015

TSSAA seeks carve-out from Tennessee Public Records Act

By Deborah Fisher|2020-02-23T10:10:43-06:00March 5, 2015|Categories: exemptions, functional equivalent, Legislature|Tags: Frank G. Clement Jr., functional equivalent, legislature, public records exemption, Southcomm, TSSAA|0 Comments

The Tennessee Secondary School Athletic Association is asking the Legislature on Tuesday to close records that in the past were used to expose possible cheating in recruiting high school athletes. It appears the people who regulate athletics for thousands of Tennessee youth want to be able to hide what they do and don’t do. The TSSAA, until last year, did not believe it was subject to the Tennessee Public Records Act. But a trial court and the Court of Appeals in Nashville courts affirmed that it is. Now a proposal in the Legislature, which is scheduled for the Senate State and Local Committee on Tuesday, seeks to statutorily relieve them [...]

13 Feb, 2015

Proposed Tennessee bills could close public records; a few open them up

By Deborah Fisher|2015-02-13T09:19:09-06:00February 13, 2015|Categories: exemptions, Legislature|Tags: driver's license information, exemptions, fees for public records, legislature, performance evaluations, State Rep. Bob Ramsey, State Rep. Courtney Rogers, State Rep. JoAnn Favors, State Rep. Karen Camper, State Rep. Mike Carter, State Rep. Roger Kane, State Rep. Steve McDaniel, State Sen. Jim Tracy, State Sen. Ken Yager, State Sen. Mike Bell, State Sen. Reginald Tate, State Sen. Todd Gardenhire|1 Comment

Lawmakers of 109th General Assembly have filed a host of bills to block or hinder citizen access to public records in the hands of government. Several of the proposed Tennessee bills could close public records, while another proposes to charge fees to inspect records. The latter would set up a hurdle that could discourage citizens from pursuing records requests. The proposed fees would cover some of the time public employees spend gathering or redacting records for disclosure. Local government would determine the hours of labor involved, which leaves open the possibility that fees could be inflated to block or discourage access. While some bills affecting public records focus on making [...]

15 Apr, 2014

7 new laws affecting meetings, records in TN – plus a few that didn’t make it
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7 new laws affecting meetings, records in TN – plus a few that didn’t make it

exemptions, Legislature

7 new laws affecting meetings, records in TN – plus a few that didn’t make it

By Deborah Fisher|2019-09-11T16:55:12-05:00April 15, 2014|Categories: exemptions, Legislature|Tags: child death records, economic development records, government transparency initiatives, government websites, legislature, schools, sexual assault records|0 Comments

As the 108th General Assembly wraps up this week, here's a quick rundown on new laws affecting government meetings and open records in Tennessee: Legislation passed: Sexual assault victims: The names of sexual assault victims can now be redacted from public records under new legislation that makes their identity confidential. This only applies after a conviction or guilty plea, and sentencing has occurred. In addition to the name, any images that depict the victim (video or photo) are also confidential, as is the victim's address and phone number. The victim has a right to waive confidentiality. Sen. Becky Massey, R-Knoxville, and Rep. Mary Littleton, R-Dickson sponsored the bills. Note that [...]

14 Apr, 2014

Charter schools win teleconferencing exception to open meetings

By Deborah Fisher|2015-08-18T07:53:12-05:00April 14, 2014|Categories: Legislature, Open Meetings, schools|Tags: charter schools, teleconferencing, Tennessee Open Meetings Act|0 Comments

Charter schools are getting a special carve out in this legislative session with a teleconferencing exception to open meetings law that allows their board members to meet via teleconference, videoconference or other electronic means without having a physical quorum in one location. Charter schools that operate in Tennessee are subject to the state's sunshine laws, meaning their governing bodies must publish notice of upcoming meetings, hold open meetings in which the public can attend and follow all other requirements of the Open Meetings Act. But the new law would give charter school boards the extra ability to meet via teleconference, videoconference or other electronic means as long as they provide a physical [...]

9 Apr, 2014

Johnson City Press: Closing sexual assault records a slippery slope

By Deborah Fisher|2014-04-09T16:37:18-05:00April 9, 2014|Categories: crime records, Legislature|Tags: crime records, legislature, Open Records Act exemptions, sexual assault records|0 Comments

Robert Houk, Opinion page editor for the Johnson City Press, looks at one of the top legislative priorities of the state's law enforcement this year -- closing records related to sexual assault -- and notes the slippery slope when police start advocating to make crime records confidential. His column is reprinted here with permission: Balancing the public’s right to know and personal privacy is not an easy job. It is something we in the news business struggle with every day. Most of the time we get it right. Occasionally, however, we have gotten it horribly wrong. What we don’t need is the Tennessee General Assembly messing with the state’s public [...]