News - Page 44 of 125 - Tennessee Coalition for Open Government

16 Oct, 2018

Judge rules against Phil Williams saying public records can be withheld if relevant to an investigation

By Deborah Fisher|2019-03-25T16:42:24-05:00October 16, 2018|Categories: public records lawsuits Tennessee|Tags: Chancellor Anne Martin, Deputy Attorney General Janet Kleinfelter, investigative exemption, Jason Locke, NewsChannel 5, Phil Williams, Ron Harris, TBI|0 Comments

Another blow was dealt to public records access in Tennessee this month when NewsChannel 5 lost a case in Chancery Court in Davidson County related to a recent controversy involving former TBI Director Jason Locke. Nashville investigative reporter Phil Williams had requested travel records, phone logs and credit card purchase summaries, among other records, after allegations arose that Locke had been conducting an affair with another state official using public resources. Around the same time of the public records request, the Davidson County district attorney began an investigation into the allegations. Though Williams had made his request to the Tennessee Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services and to [...]

5 Oct, 2018

Tennessee Supreme Court begins video of oral arguments

By Deborah Fisher|2018-10-05T11:36:51-05:00October 5, 2018|Categories: Open Courts|Tags: Justice Jeffrey S. Bivins, meeting videotape, Tennessee Supreme Court|0 Comments

Tennessee Supreme Court Justices: Chief Justice Jeffrey S. Bivins, seated; standing from left, Justice Holly Kirby, Justice Cornelia A. Clark, Justice Sharon G. Lee, and Justice Roger A. Page. The Tennessee Supreme Court this week began a new program to videotape oral arguments of its cases and to post them on its website for the public to see. This follows the Court's initiative to make audio recordings of oral arguments available on the website beginning five years ago. “There has been too much mystique about the Supreme Court for too long,” Chief Justice Jeff Bivins said in a press release. “This Supreme Court is committed to openness and [...]

30 Sep, 2018

TCOG lists 13 exemptions, exemption categories that need revision or elimination

By Deborah Fisher|2018-11-09T08:19:46-06:00September 30, 2018|Categories: exemptions, Public Records, Tennessee Coalition for Open Government|Tags: economic development records, investigation exemption, investment records, lottery records, Open Records Ad Hoc Committee, prisons, private entities, public hospital boards, tax credits, TBI, University of Tennessee, vendor names|1 Comment

Tennessee Coalition for Open Government recently provided the Open Records Ad Hoc Committee 13 exemptions or categories of exemptions that are interfering with the public's right to know what government is doing. Deborah Fisher, executive director of TCOG "As you will see, many of the exemptions listed have problems related to overbreadth or vagueness that we suspect may exceed the public purpose of the exemption. We know that some of the considerations we are bringing forward were not part of the debate when the exemptions were passed by the legislature," TCOG's letter said. "While this list may not cover every exemption that impairs transparency in government, we wanted [...]

30 Sep, 2018

Google’s secrecy agreement with the Montgomery County IDB should be undone

By Deborah Fisher|2020-11-19T12:35:59-06:00September 30, 2018|Categories: economic development, exemptions, Legislature|Tags: economic development, Google, Jack McElroy, Montgomery County Industrial Development Board, Open Records Ad Hoc Committee, PILOTS, trade secrets|0 Comments

The Google groundbreaking via WRKN February 2018. On Dec. 22 2015, the Industrial Development Board of Montgomery County entered into a “Payment in Lieu of Tax Agreement” with Google “to induce” it to build and operate an information technology center near Clarksville. It provided that: Google, through its company Foxman LLC, would take over property (which the government had purchased with taxpayer funds) through a lease agreement; The industrial development board would issue as much as $2 billion in industrial revenue bonds to help Google finance additional facilities and equipment on the property, and; Google would be relieved from paying any taxes on the land for 20 years, [...]

12 Sep, 2018

Open Records Ad Hoc Committee meets on Thursday

By Deborah Fisher|2018-09-12T11:12:54-05:00September 12, 2018|Categories: exemptions, Legislature, Public Records|Tags: exemptions, Open Records Ad Hoc Committee|0 Comments

The Joint Open Records Ad Hoc Committee will have it second meeting on Thursday as it tackles a review of exemptions to the Tennessee Public Records Act. Last month, at its inaugural meeting, the committee heard a report from Jason Mumpower, chief of staff for the Comptroller's Office, who explained a new compilation of all the statutory exemptions. He said there are now 563 exemptions in state law. (The last time a legislative committee conducted an exemption review was 30 years ago and when there were 89 exemptions.) The committee also heard a presentation and recommendations from TCOG. Several people are scheduled to give presentations on Thursday including: Janet Kleinfelter, [...]