Public Records Archives - Page 16 of 74 - Tennessee Coalition for Open Government

23 Feb, 2020

Bill would require government entities to put meeting agendas online

By Deborah Fisher|2023-04-11T10:57:55-05:00February 23, 2020|Categories: Public Records, Tennessee Coalition for Open Government|Tags: agendas, basic government information, government websites, meeting minutes, State Rep. William Lamberth, State Sen. Mike Bell|1 Comment

State Rep. William Lamberth, R-Portland, and state Sen. Mike Bell, R-Riceville, are pushing a bill that would require government entities to post meeting agendas on their websites, as well as other basic government information. House Bill 2132 and Senate Bill 2756 would make it easier and faster for the public to get and review agendas for upcoming meetings. State Rep. William Lamberth, R-Portland, (left) and State Sen. Mike Bell, R-Riceville, (right) have proposed legislation that would require government entities with a website to include meeting agendas and other basic government information on the website. The bill requires a government entity with a website to post its meetings agendas on the [...]

23 Feb, 2020

Harassment bill fails on 5-4 vote

By Deborah Fisher|2020-02-23T16:38:31-06:00February 23, 2020|Categories: requests, Tennessee Coalition for Open Government|Tags: harassment, legislation, public records requests, State Sen. Ferrell Haile, State Sen. Mike Bell|0 Comments

A bill that would allow a government entity to petition a court for an injunction against someone who was using the public records process to harass government employees failed in a Senate committee last week. Sen. Ferrell Haile, R- Gallatin. The harassment bill, sponsored by Sen. Ferrell Haile, R-Gallatin, arose last year after reports of a man who city officials in Gallatin and others believe is abusing the process and wasting government time through multiple and voluminous requests with seemingly no purpose. Haile amended the bill, working with stakeholders including Tennessee Coalition for Open Government, which eventually supported the amended version of the bill. Haile characterized the bill as an [...]

23 Feb, 2020

Settlement requires Memphis Shelby Crime Commission to produce records

By Deborah Fisher|2020-02-23T10:33:24-06:00February 23, 2020|Categories: functional equivalent, public records lawsuits Tennessee|Tags: functional equivalent, MLK50, Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press, The Marshall Project|0 Comments

The Memphis Shelby Crime Commission has released records about its funding of the Memphis Police Department a year after a public records lawsuit. Wendi Thomas, founder of MLK50: Justice Through Journalism, sued the Memphis Shelby Crime Commission over access to its records. Wendi Thomas, founder of MLK50: Justice Through Journalism, and The Marshall Project argued that the crime commission was the "functional equivalent" of government because of its significant role in funding police and directing public safety policy in Memphis. Under Tennessee's "functional equivalent doctrine," a government entity cannot avoid disclosure under the state's Public Records Act by delegating its responsibilities to a private entity. Tennessee courts have used the [...]

3 Feb, 2020

Hamilton County’s destruction of public records should set off fire alarms

By Deborah Fisher|2020-06-05T14:19:19-05:00February 3, 2020|Categories: Public Records, records management|Tags: county public records commission, Dana Beltramo, email, Hamilton County, Hamilton County Attorney Rheubin Taylor, Hamilton County Commmissioner Randy Fairbanks, public records requests, records retention policy, Times Free Press|1 Comment

Hamilton County Attorney Rheubin Taylor refused to allow inspection of its responses to public records requests without the Times Free Press paying more than $700. His office later got permission to destroy the records being requested by the newspaper, even as the newspaper continued to press to see them. Hamilton County government has found a new way to prevent access to public records: get rid of them. It’s not really new. It’s the oldest trick in the book. In late July last year, a reporter with the Chattanooga Times Free Press became concerned that the county government was not following state law in its responses to public records requests. So [...]

19 Dec, 2019

Williamson County mother files public records suit against Tennessee School Boards Association

By Deborah Fisher|2020-02-23T10:12:43-06:00December 19, 2019|Categories: functional equivalent, public records lawsuits Tennessee|Tags: Beacon Center, functional equivalent, Tennessee School Boards Association|0 Comments

A Williamson County mother, represented by the Beacon Center of Tennessee, has filed a public records lawsuit against the Tennessee School Boards Association after being denied access to the association's records. The lawsuit, Marren v. Tennessee School Boards Association, claims that the association is the "functional equivalent" of a government entity under the functional equivalent doctrine established by the Tennessee Supreme Court, and thus its records are subject to the Public Records Act. The school board association, in denying public records requests from Karrie Marren, claimed it was "a private, nonprofit organization" and was not subject to the Tennessee Public Records Act. Marren had requested: TSBA's training materials for school [...]