News - Page 70 of 125 - Tennessee Coalition for Open Government

8 Sep, 2016

News-Sentinel: Details about Tennessee State Museum donors should be public

By Deborah Fisher|2016-09-08T16:59:08-05:00September 8, 2016|Categories: Public Records|Tags: Bill Haslam, Herbert Slatery, Knoxville News Sentinel, Tennessee State Museum|0 Comments

The Knoxville News-Sentinel makes the case that a foundation that was set up entirely for one purpose - to raise money for the state-owned Tennessee State Museum - should disclose details about donations that will help fund a new building. The foundation has a big job: It's supposed to raise $160 million to add to the $120 million committed by the Legislature for a new place. Gov. Bill Haslam is leading the fundraising effort. And it's an admirable cause. We don't have to go into too much detail here about the need for transparency in foundations with ties to government or government officials. In this case, there's an easy answer that would [...]

7 Sep, 2016

Advisory Committee on Open Government aims for body camera study, public hearings

By Deborah Fisher|2016-10-10T14:27:47-05:00September 7, 2016|Categories: crime records, Legislature, Office of Open Records Counsel|Tags: Advisory Committee on Open Government, Bob Ramsey, David Rausch, legislature, police body cameras, Rick Hollow|0 Comments

The Advisory Committee on Open Government (ACOG) took the first steps toward a police body camera study last week, discussing ideas for public hearings around the state and how it would develop broad input and conversation. State Rep. Bob Ramsey, R-Maryville, and Chair of House State Government Committee The 14-member group, which is appointed by the Comptroller's Office, represents a wide range of media, government and citizen organizations and is authorized by law to provide written comment on proposed legislation regarding open records and meetings. The House State Government Committee, chaired by state Rep. Bob Ramsey, R-Maryville, asked the open government committee to study the body cam issue after [...]

7 Sep, 2016

Open Records Counsel begins work on model public records policy

By Deborah Fisher|2016-10-10T14:30:00-05:00September 7, 2016|Categories: Office of Open Records Counsel, requests, Tennessee Coalition for Open Government|Tags: Ann Butterworth, fees, model public records policy, Office of Open Records Counsel, requests|0 Comments

Open Records Counsel Ann Butterworth told members of the Advisory Committee on Open Government last week that she hopes to have a final version of a new model public records policy finished by Dec. 15 A new state law requires all government authorities to adopt a public records policy for their government entity by July 1, 2017, and outlines new requirements that must be included. The legislation also instructed the Office of Open Records Counsel to develop a "model best practices and public records policy", working with the Advisory Committee on Open Government, that could be used by governing authorities as a guide. So far, only Tennessee Coalition for Open Government has [...]

7 Sep, 2016

Memphis Bar Association to host deep dive into Darrius Stewart police shooting case

By Deborah Fisher|2017-03-21T16:58:45-05:00September 7, 2016|Categories: crime records, Open Courts, Tennessee Coalition for Open Government|Tags: Amy Weirich, Darrius Stewart, Lucian Pera, Memphis, Memphis Bar Association, Memphis Police, police shootings, public records training, Roy L. Austin Jr.|0 Comments

The Memphis Bar Association is hosting "Covering Police-Involved Shootings: A Deep Dive into the Darrius Stewart Case" on Sept. 28 as part of a daylong program bringing together journalists, lawyers and policymakers. Participants will have an opportunity to hear and interact with lawyers, judges, prosecutors and reporters who were involved in the Stewart case or covered it. Roy L. Austin Jr. Roy Austin Jr., deputy assistant to President Obama and Director of the White House Office of Urban Affairs, Justice, and Opportunity, will be the keynote speaker at lunch and share a national and policy perspective on police shootings. Later in the day, veteran reporters and lawyers will [...]

2 Sep, 2016

Tennessee School Boards Association files amicus in Sumner Schools public records appeal

By Deborah Fisher|2019-12-19T14:23:57-06:00September 2, 2016|Categories: public records lawsuits Tennessee, requests|Tags: Court of Appeals, Judge Dee David Gay, Ken Jakes, Sumner County School Board, Tennessee School Boards Association|0 Comments

The Tennessee School Boards Association, which collects dues and represents nearly all school districts in the state, has filed an amicus with the Court of Appeals in a public records case against the Sumner County Board of Education. From left: Citizen Ken Jakes and Sumner Schools attorneys Todd Presnell and Jim Fuqua listen the judge's ruling that the school district violated the Tennessee Public Records Act. The Sumner County school district hopes to overturn a ruling by a judge that it violated the Tennessee Public Records Act when it refused to let citizen activist Ken Jakes see a copy of its public records policy. The school board argued that [...]