News

27 Jun, 2017

Knoxville News Sentinel: Judge lifts blackout on Gatlinburg fire records

By |2017-06-29T10:46:47-05:00June 27, 2017|Categories: Public Records|Tags: , , , |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 |2022-01-10T10:22:19-06:00May 15, 2017|Categories: Legislature, Open Meetings, Public Records, requests|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |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 [...]

24 Apr, 2017

Proposed rule change could erode access to court records, lawyers say

By |2017-04-25T07:44:42-05:00April 24, 2017|Categories: court records|Tags: , , , , , , , |0 Comments

Some of the state’s leading news media attorneys are concerned that a proposed expansion of rules on public access to court records in Tennessee is overly broad and could erode access at the trial court level. The proposed change to the Tennessee Supreme Court rules would expand exemptions to the lower courts with language that one lawyer says is "vague to the point of potential constitutional infirmity." (Gavel illustration by www.weisspaarz.com, licensed under CC BY SA-2.0) The Tennessee Supreme Court has proposed changing Rule 34 “Policies and Guidelines Regarding Appellate Judicial Records,” which defines certain court records not open for inspection, such as unpublished drafts of judicial orders and [...]

21 Apr, 2017

Body camera footage inside schools, hospitals would be exempt under bill headed to governor

By |2017-04-24T10:01:00-05:00April 21, 2017|Categories: crime records, Legislature|Tags: |0 Comments

Body camera footage inside hospitals and schools would be exempt under the legislation. Legislation that would exempt some body camera footage from the Tennessee Public Records Act is headed to the governor's desk for signature. The House and the Senate passed legislation that would make confidential footage shot inside health care facilities, schools, and inside homes in some instances. Here is what the bill lists as exempt: (1) Video taken by a law enforcement body camera that depicts the following shall be treated as confidential and not subject to public inspection: (A) Minors, when taken within a school that serves any grades from kindergarten through grade twelve (K-12); [...]

21 Apr, 2017

Senate approves bill to open TBI records in police-involved shootings

By |2017-04-21T10:05:16-05:00April 21, 2017|Categories: crime records|Tags: , , , |1 Comment

The Senate this week voted 30-0 to make TBI investigative records in police-involved shootings open to the public after the "prosecutorial function" is finished. The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation has an exemption in the Tennessee Public Records Act that allows it keep its records confidential even after the case is over, but this legislation would create an exception for police-involved shootings. “This is extremely important legislation for Tennessee," said state Sen. Brian Kelsey, R-Germantown, who signed on to the bill as a co-sponsor and who carried similar legislation last year. (see video) "We need to make this information public to exonerate our law enforcement officers who are at times wrongfully accused [...]

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