Public Records Archives - Page 25 of 78 - Tennessee Coalition for Open Government

17 Dec, 2018

Open Records Committee recommends changes to exemption process

By Deborah Fisher|2018-12-18T08:00:30-06:00December 17, 2018|Categories: exemptions, Legislature|Tags: exemptions, Hamilton County Board of Education, open government law, State Rep. Jason Zachary, State Sen. Mike Bell, State Sen. Todd Gardenhire, sunset provision, Tennessee Risk Management Trust|1 Comment

An open records committee that has met over the past five months to consider the growing number of exemptions to Tennessee’s Public Records Act says it will recommend a new, more robust process to vet both existing and future exemptions. State Rep. Jason Zachary, R-Knoxville, co-chair of an ad hoc Open Records Committee appointed by House and Senate leaders, said the task of going through 563 exemptions was too large to get done in the few months they were allotted. However, the committee is recommending two major changes: a process for sunsets on existing exemptions and more robust vetting of proposed new exemptions. “We’ve learned that Tennessee needs [...]

10 Dec, 2018

Open Records Committee to make recommendations Thursday

By Deborah Fisher|2018-12-10T12:47:48-06:00December 10, 2018|Categories: exemptions, Legislature|Tags: exemptions, Open Records Ad Hoc Committee|0 Comments

The Open Records Ad Hoc Committee will meet on Thursday for discussion and recommendations regarding the growing number of exemptions to the public records laws that allow government entities to keep some records secret. The committee has met three times, beginning in August, after being formed by Senate Speaker Randy McNally, R-Oak Ridge, and then-House Speaker Beth Harwell, R-Nashville, who wanted an examination of exemptions that may need to be removed or placed in a sunset review process. The committee's chairmen are Sen. Todd Gardenhire, R-Chattanooga, and Rep. Jason Zachary, R-Knoxville. The other committee members are: Rep. Raumesh Akbari, D-Memphis Rep. Jeremy Faison, R-Cosby Rep. Bob Ramsey, R-Maryville Sen. Mike Bell, R-Riceville Sen. Kerry Roberts, R-Springfield Sen. Jeff [...]

10 Dec, 2018

Tennessee lags other states in tax credit transparency

By Deborah Fisher|2020-11-19T12:54:12-06:00December 10, 2018|Categories: economic development, Legislature|Tags: economic development, legislature, Revenue Department, tax credits|1 Comment

(Update 2-8-2020: The most recent annual report on claimed tax credits from the year ending in mid-June shows the annual carryover liability has grown to $1.3 billion. You'll find this information in the footnotes.) When it comes to transparency of state business tax credits given to companies as part of economic development programs, Tennessee lags other states in how much it reveals to the public. The amount carried over in economic development tax credits to be used by businesses against future taxes is nearly $1 billion in Tennessee. But who is receiving the credits is confidential, the state says, unlike in other states. The Department of Revenue last [...]

14 Nov, 2018

Questions about photography ban, ID requirement prompts committee to stop agency’s public records rules

By Deborah Fisher|2018-11-16T12:17:04-06:00November 14, 2018|Categories: requests, Tennessee Coalition for Open Government|Tags: identification, photos of public records, public records policies, State Rep. Bo Mitchell, State Rep. G.A. Hardaway, State Rep. Jeremy Faison, State Sen. Janice Bowling, State Sen. Mark Pody, State Sen. Mike Bell, State Sen. Rusty Crowe|1 Comment

The Joint Government Operations Committee voted today to ask the Department of Financial Institutions to hold a public hearing on its rules related to public records requests after questions about the agency's proposed ban on photography of records and the requirement of a Tennessee driver's license or photo ID to inspect or get copies of records. Some committee members said that hearing public records rules of state agencies during the rule-making process this year has prompted them to believe changes to the public records act are due. The Department of Financial Institutions is one of many state agencies going through the rule-making process related to public records access. All state [...]

14 Nov, 2018

What records are open and closed on the Amazon deal?

By Deborah Fisher|2020-11-19T12:37:18-06:00November 14, 2018|Categories: exemptions|Tags: Amazon, Bob Rolfe, economic development, State Funding Board, tax credits|0 Comments

Now that Amazon has announced that it will locate a logistics hub with 5,000 big-paying jobs in Nashville, what documents related to the $102 million incentive deal are subject to the Tennessee Public Records Act? The incentives announced yesterday break down this way, as reported by news outlets: A $65 million grant from the state based on Amazon creating 5,000 jobs and investing $600 million within a seven-year period. The grant can be used for land acquisition, site preparation, building construction, infrastructure improvements and development, including, but not limited to, sewer, water and utility infrastructure, or "any other eligible activities," according to a Nov. 2 summary of state incentives obtained by [...]