Public Records Archives - Page 31 of 74 - Tennessee Coalition for Open Government

3 Jul, 2017

Are Tennessee voter registration records public?

By Deborah Fisher|2017-07-05T17:51:43-05:00July 3, 2017|Categories: Public Records|Tags: Donald Trump, Tennessee Secretary of State Tre Hargett, voter records, voting history|0 Comments

Update, 7-5-2017: I asked the Secretary of State's Office about what voter registration records were available under the Tennessee Public Records Act from the state. They responded today to say that county election commissions are the custodians of permanent voter registration records, which are open for public inspection as per T.C.A. 2-2-127. The state does have a central list of voter registration records that reflects the data that has been transferred to it by each county. However, the Secretary of State's Office said that any list generated from this data would be governed by the statute T.C.A. 2-2-138 (e) that requires anyone requesting such a list from the state to certify [...]

30 Jun, 2017

7-month quest for Gatlinburg fire records reflects poorly on state transparency

By Deborah Fisher|2018-08-06T08:50:37-05:00June 30, 2017|Categories: investigative exemption, public records lawsuits Tennessee|Tags: Deputy Attorney General Janet Kleinfelter, Gatlinburg fire, Knoxville News Sentinel, Sevier County District Attorney Jimmy Dunn, Sevier County Judge Jeff Rader, TEMA|4 Comments

The November 2016 Gatlinburg fire killed 14 people and cost millions of dollars in damages. It was one of Tennessee’s worst disasters. A central question remains: Why did state and local officials wait so long to order an evacuation, until after the fire had already swept into residential areas? Some who lived through last-minute escapes have told news reporters that they had called 911 and were instructed it was safe to stay put. The answer to the evacuation question, and many others, could lay in the communication records and other post-fire reports held by state and local officials. But almost as soon as news organizations and citizens started requesting to [...]

27 Jun, 2017

Judge rules Fall Creek Falls privatization records should be released

By Deborah Fisher|2020-05-09T13:21:01-05:00June 27, 2017|Categories: exemptions, public records lawsuits Tennessee|Tags: Bill Young, Fall Creek Falls, Janet Kleinfelter, John Williams, Katherine Dix, Nashville Scene, privatization, public records lawsuit, request for proposals|0 Comments

In a win for government transparency, Davidson County Chancellor Bill Young ruled today that government records requested by the Nashville Scene regarding the privatization of Fall Creek Falls State Park should be released and are not covered by an exemption in the Tennessee Public Records Act. Davidson County Chancellor Bill Young Under the exemption, proposals for professional services and related records are open for public inspection only after the state has finished evaluating the proposals. However, in this case, no proposals were received by the state’s May 1 deadline from businesses who wanted to operate the state park. The state argued that this meant any government records related [...]

27 Jun, 2017

Knoxville News Sentinel: Judge lifts blackout on Gatlinburg fire records

By Deborah Fisher|2017-06-29T10:46:47-05:00June 27, 2017|Categories: Public Records|Tags: Gatlinburg fire, Knoxville News Sentinel, Sevier County District Attorney Jimmy Dunn, Sevier County Judge Jeff Rader|0 Comments

After months of unfulfilled public records requests to state and local government agencies for Gatlinburg fire records, the Knoxville News Sentinel learned that a judge issued an order three weeks ago saying nothing in the case before him precluded the Tennessee Emergency Management Agency from releasing public records about the fire. "This court did not intend to direct or address the actions of any other entities or parties not specifically involved in these cases. ... TEMA has not been ordered to provide nor precluded from providing any information pertaining to its duties under the Public Records Act." The Tennessee Attorney General's office, which petitioned the judge for guidance, received the [...]

15 May, 2017

New laws passed in 2017 affect access to public records

By Deborah Fisher|2022-01-10T10:22:19-06:00May 15, 2017|Categories: Legislature, Open Meetings, Public Records, requests|Tags: addresses, audibility of public meeting, Bill Haslam, body cameras, bus safety complaints, crime victims, economic development records, electronic meetings, health care exams, lawmaker travel, police, requests by email, state parks, State Rep. Bob Ramsey, State Rep. Courtney Rogers, State Rep. Darren Jernigan, State Sen. Doug Overbey, State Sen. Ken Yager, State Sen. Lee Harris, tax credits, TBI, TCOG news, Tennessee State Museum, vendors|0 Comments

TCOG Legislative Report 2017 Following is a summary of new laws affecting access to government information. They include 7 new exceptions to the Tennessee Public Records Act, 2 existing exemptions partially rolled back, 1 new law improving access to records in general, 1 new law creating criminal penalties for releasing certain confidential information, and 3 new laws improving government records for better accountability. 1 - Requiring acceptance of public records requests through email State Rep. Courtney Rogers, R-Goodlettsville State Rep. Courtney Rogers, R-Goodlettsville, brought this legislation after an expensive legal dispute in her home county of Sumner County where the school district refused to accept public records requests by [...]