Public Records Archives - Page 59 of 74 - Tennessee Coalition for Open Government

22 Feb, 2015

Editorial: Bills would keep citizens in dark on public records

By Deborah Fisher|2015-03-02T07:39:27-06:00February 22, 2015|Categories: exemptions, fees|Tags: fees for public records, Knoxville News Sentinel, legislature, performance evaluations, TSSAA|0 Comments

Awesome editorial about need for transparency and accountability in government by Knoxville News Sentinel, reprinted here with permission: Three bills now pending in the Tennessee Legislature would combine to cripple the public's access to government records. One would make citizens pay to see official documents. Another would prevent the public from reviewing state employee performance evaluations. The third would shield from scrutiny the organization that regulates school sports statewide. The bills' sponsors and other lawmakers should reconsider these proposals in the context of transparency and accountability. One bill being pushed by the Tennessee School Boards Association would allow state and local government agencies to charge citizens a fee to inspect [...]

22 Feb, 2015

News Sentinel: Bill would charge extra fees for public records

By Deborah Fisher|2015-03-02T07:36:45-06:00February 22, 2015|Categories: fees|Tags: fees for public records, Knox County school board, State Rep. Steve McDaniel, State Sen. Jim Tracy, Tennessee School Boards Association|0 Comments

The Knoxville News Sentinel reports in its Sunday edition what Knox County school board members think of an effort by the Tennessee School Boards Association to change the law so that citizens can be charged inspection fees for public records. The story "Bill would charge extra for public records" by reporter Lydia X. McCoy is reprinted here, with permission: A majority of Knox County school board members said they support proposed legislation that would allow government agencies, including school systems, to charge residents more to inspect public records. For others, the bill raises some concerns. The bill, being sponsored by state Sen. Jim Tracy, R-Shelbyville, and state Rep. Steve McDaniel, R-Parkers [...]

20 Feb, 2015

HIPAA cited as reason to keep confidential lawmakers’ health insurance benefits

By Deborah Fisher|2015-02-23T10:05:38-06:00February 20, 2015|Categories: HIPAA|Tags: HIPAA, legislature|0 Comments

The erroneous idea that the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) makes confidential the amount of money that governments in Tennessee pay to buy employee health insurance comes up occasionally, the latest after a controversial decision by a state legislative committee to reject the governor's Insure Tennessee proposal. The state of Tennessee is not alone in also paying for elected officials or lawmakers' health insurance benefits. Nashville Metro Council members get to be on the city's health care plan, and they and their families can keep the coverage for their entire life if they want. These benefits can be good deal for the recipient, and for some who have [...]

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 [...]

12 Feb, 2015

TBI files can be secret even when entered as evidence, Criminal Appeals Court says

By Deborah Fisher|2018-11-09T08:21:53-06:00February 12, 2015|Categories: court records, crime records|Tags: Court of Criminal Appeals, court records, Herbert Moncier, Judge Timothy Easter, Knoxville News Sentinel, sealed court records, TBI|0 Comments

Last week, the Tennessee Court of Criminal Appeals ruled that Tennessee Bureau of Investigation files could remain confidential even when they are entered as evidence in a court trial. The case in which this came up involved the heinous murder of Channon Christian, 21, and Christopher Newsom, 23, who were kidnapped, raped and tortured in Knoxville in 2007. The guilty verdicts in the trial were put in question when the presiding judge, Richard Baumgartner, became subject to a TBI probe related to buying prescription drug painkillers from two felons. Defense attorneys sought new trials, and parts of the TBI investigation were entered into the judicial proceeding. The parents of the victims intervened, [...]