fees Archives - Page 2 of 8 - Tennessee Coalition for Open Government

9 May, 2016

Now is the time to address runaway labor fees to access public records

By Deborah Fisher|2016-05-09T12:47:11-05:00May 9, 2016|Categories: fees|Tags: fees for public records, Louis Graham, State Rep. Ulysses Jones, The Commercial Appeal|1 Comment

An editorial published in the Sunday editions of the three largest newspapers in Tennessee sent a message about public records: Louis Graham, editor of The Commercial Appeal Now is the time to address the inadequate system of charging citizens and media labor fees to review public records. The editorial points out a recent $1,600 bill paid by The Jackson Sun to track the problems that have put University of Tennessee-Martin at risk of losing accreditation. Part of that bill included $108 per hour for the interim chancellor to review emails before releasing them. The editorial, penned by Commercial Appeal editor Louis Graham, also lists other charges that newspapers have faced in [...]

2 May, 2016

Jackson Sun gets $1,600 public records bill after requesting to see accreditation emails at UT-Martin

By Deborah Fisher|2016-05-02T18:13:24-05:00May 2, 2016|Categories: fees|Tags: emails, fees for public records, Schedule of Reasonable Charges, The Jackson Sun, University of Tennessee-Martin|0 Comments

The Jackson Sun in a Sunday editorial called for reform of the state's public records fee schedule after getting a $1,600 public records bill for copies of emails about University of Tennessee at Martin's academic probation. Jackson Sun Editor Steve Coffman When UT-Martin's administrators said they didn't have specifics about the probation, the newspaper requested to review emails to and from the college's administrative and academic leadership team on the topic. What the emails showed: UTM knew it was at risk for losing accreditation for multiple years for failing to address five specific and related standards, yet did little about it. (See story: UTM repeatedly failed to fix issues that led to probation) Getting [...]

28 Apr, 2016

So what ever happened to the fees to inspect bill?

By Deborah Fisher|2022-02-11T09:31:45-06:00April 28, 2016|Categories: fees, Legislature|Tags: Ann Butterworth, fees for public records, Office of Open Records Counsel, State Rep. Steve McDaniel, State Sen. Jim Tracy|0 Comments

Last year at this time, open government advocates in the state had successfully convinced lawmakers to delay action on an ill-conceived proposal to allow government to charge fees to inspect public records. Already, the law allows charging citizens fees to get copies of records and the rules have led to out-of-control labor costs with few limits or recourse for citizens and journalists. The free inspection option is the law's safety valve, and the last protection for a citizen or journalist who can't afford the prices and the fights with government officials over costs. The sponsors of the legislation, who were carrying it at the request of the Tennessee School Boards [...]

26 Apr, 2016

15 decisions on public records by the Tennessee Legislature in 2016

By Deborah Fisher|2018-11-09T08:23:32-06:00April 26, 2016|Categories: court records, crime records, exemptions, fees, Legislature, Office of Open Records Counsel, requests|Tags: birth certificates, civil asset forfeiture, court records, death certificates, drones, exemptions, fees for public records, government contracts, legislature, police body cameras, police records, police shootings, public notice, tax records, TBI, vendor confidentiality|1 Comment

This year, Tennessee lawmakers punted on public records bills that could have created new access rights to see police body camera video and files of finished investigations into officer-involved shootings. But they did pass several new laws — some that exempted more government information from public view, and others that hold promise for improving government transparency. Following is a roundup of action by the Tennessee Legislature related to public records and access. 1- Police body cameras: After a late-in-session effort to pass a body camera bill and disagreement among stakeholders, the House State Government Committee instructed the Advisory Committee on Open Government to study the issue and provide them with [...]

11 Dec, 2015

Vanderbilt Poll: 85 percent of Tennesseans think no fee should be charged to inspect public records

By Deborah Fisher|2015-12-11T09:33:39-06:00December 11, 2015|Categories: fees|Tags: fees for public records, Vanderbilt Poll|0 Comments

A Vanderbilt University poll recently found that 85 percent of Tennesseans think inspection of public records should remain free for citizens. Two lawmakers filed bills this year that proposed allowing governmental entities to charge fees, similar to the fees charged if a citizen wants to get a copy of a public record. While the law allows local government to charge for providing copies, it prohibits charging a citizen if he or she simply wants to view a government record without getting a copy. The Tennessee School Boards Association pushed for the bill, but lawmakers tabled the proposal so the issue could be studied over the summer. The Office of Open Records [...]