News - Page 21 of 128 - Tennessee Coalition for Open Government

11 Jun, 2021

Report takes aim at redaction, access to body camera footage

By Deborah Fisher|2021-06-22T16:27:47-05:00June 11, 2021|Categories: crime records|Tags: body cameras, crime records, fees for public records|0 Comments

A recent report by investigative journalist Marc Perrusquia details the excessive redaction of body camera footage, obscuring information and leading to high labor costs and delays when journalists and members of the public want to view it. The report, "Inaccessible: Police Body Camera Footage Is Often Expensive, Heavily Edited And Takes Months To Get", was published by the Institute for Public Service Reporting in Memphis where Perrusquia is director. The report is especially relevant and timely because a law that allows redaction of certain parts of body camera footage is set to expire July 1, 2022. [...]

31 May, 2021

New law targets people who try to disrupt government operations with public records requests

By Deborah Fisher|2021-06-22T16:31:04-05:00May 31, 2021|Categories: Legislature, requests|Tags: harassment, public records requests, State Rep. Jason Zachary, State Sen. Ferrell Haile|0 Comments

A new law that went into effect in late April will allow government officials to seek relief in court from people who use the public records process with an intent to disrupt government operations. The bill was aimed at curbing public records requests from so-called "bad actors." [...]

18 May, 2021

Knox County Commission mulls changes to public notices

By Deborah Fisher|2021-06-22T16:32:04-05:00May 18, 2021|Categories: adequate public notice|Tags: adequate public notice, Glenn Jacobs, Knox County Commission, Knox Focus, Knoxville News Sentinal, legal notices, public notice|0 Comments

The Knox County Commission is proposing an ordinance that would create a new central repository on its website for all public and legal notices required by law, with the idea that it might be able to eliminate the expense of buying ads in local newspapers to publicize items like upcoming meetings, tax-delinquent sales and government bid opportunities. [...]

14 May, 2021

Local government boards resume in-person meetings but they don’t necessarily look like before

By Deborah Fisher|2021-05-14T17:41:05-05:00May 14, 2021|Categories: Open Meetings|Tags: Bristol City Council, COVID-19, electronic meetings, mask requirement, meeting minutes, meeting videotape, Memphis City Council, Morristown City Council, public seating|0 Comments

This month, local governing bodies across the state resumed in-person meetings after 58 weeks under a governor's executive order allowing electronic meetings. The order, which had lifted requirements of state law so that governing bodies could meet electronically due to COVID-19, expired on April 28 without renewal by Gov. Bill Lee. In a spot check of governing bodies, Tennessee Coalition for Open Government found that some resumed physical meetings just as before the pandemic. Others resumed physical meetings but continued citizen-friendly measures that they were not doing before the pandemic — such as livestreaming more meetings and posting the video to YouTube. Some resumed meeting in their regular meeting rooms [...]

13 May, 2021

General Assembly ends session with no expansion of electronic meetings

By Deborah Fisher|2021-05-14T12:28:53-05:00May 13, 2021|Categories: Legislature, Open Meetings|Tags: electronic meetings|0 Comments

Although lawmakers introduced several bills in the Tennessee Legislature this year to expand the ability of governing bodies to conduct electronic meetings without members having to be there in person, none passed. Of the nine bills tracked by TCOG, six failed or stalled. The other three were modified to keep the status quo on electronic participation and not expand it. The Open Meetings Act already allows members of state boards to participate in meetings electronically under certain conditions and rules. These rules are found in Section 108 of the Open Meetings Act. Members of school boards are also allowed to participate in meetings electronically within certain limits. Bill would have [...]