News - Page 73 of 125 - Tennessee Coalition for Open Government

5 May, 2016

AG: Search firm records are open in school director search, Open Meetings Act may apply

By Deborah Fisher|2017-01-06T15:25:27-06:00May 5, 2016|Categories: Attorney General Opinions, schools|Tags: AG opinion, Cleveland, Herbert Slatery, State Sen. Mike Bell, Tennessee School Boards Association|0 Comments

The Attorney General in a new opinion says that records in a school director search are open for public inspection, even if the records were obtained by a third party hired by a school board to conduct the search. The entity might also be subject to the Open Meetings Act, depending on factors such as the circumstances of its involvement with the government body, its authority and its structure, the AG said. State Sen. Mike Bell, R-Riceville State Sen. Mike Bell, R-Riceville, said he requested the opinion because some constituents were concerned about the transparency of the search to fill the Cleveland City School's director position. The school board hired the [...]

2 May, 2016

Jackson Sun gets $1,600 public records bill after requesting to see accreditation emails at UT-Martin

By Deborah Fisher|2016-05-02T18:13:24-05:00May 2, 2016|Categories: fees|Tags: emails, fees for public records, Schedule of Reasonable Charges, The Jackson Sun, University of Tennessee-Martin|0 Comments

The Jackson Sun in a Sunday editorial called for reform of the state's public records fee schedule after getting a $1,600 public records bill for copies of emails about University of Tennessee at Martin's academic probation. Jackson Sun Editor Steve Coffman When UT-Martin's administrators said they didn't have specifics about the probation, the newspaper requested to review emails to and from the college's administrative and academic leadership team on the topic. What the emails showed: UTM knew it was at risk for losing accreditation for multiple years for failing to address five specific and related standards, yet did little about it. (See story: UTM repeatedly failed to fix issues that led to probation) Getting [...]

28 Apr, 2016

So what ever happened to the fees to inspect bill?

By Deborah Fisher|2022-02-11T09:31:45-06:00April 28, 2016|Categories: fees, Legislature|Tags: Ann Butterworth, fees for public records, Office of Open Records Counsel, State Rep. Steve McDaniel, State Sen. Jim Tracy|0 Comments

Last year at this time, open government advocates in the state had successfully convinced lawmakers to delay action on an ill-conceived proposal to allow government to charge fees to inspect public records. Already, the law allows charging citizens fees to get copies of records and the rules have led to out-of-control labor costs with few limits or recourse for citizens and journalists. The free inspection option is the law's safety valve, and the last protection for a citizen or journalist who can't afford the prices and the fights with government officials over costs. The sponsors of the legislation, who were carrying it at the request of the Tennessee School Boards [...]

26 Apr, 2016

15 decisions on public records by the Tennessee Legislature in 2016

By Deborah Fisher|2018-11-09T08:23:32-06:00April 26, 2016|Categories: court records, crime records, exemptions, fees, Legislature, Office of Open Records Counsel, requests|Tags: birth certificates, civil asset forfeiture, court records, death certificates, drones, exemptions, fees for public records, government contracts, legislature, police body cameras, police records, police shootings, public notice, tax records, TBI, vendor confidentiality|1 Comment

This year, Tennessee lawmakers punted on public records bills that could have created new access rights to see police body camera video and files of finished investigations into officer-involved shootings. But they did pass several new laws — some that exempted more government information from public view, and others that hold promise for improving government transparency. Following is a roundup of action by the Tennessee Legislature related to public records and access. 1- Police body cameras: After a late-in-session effort to pass a body camera bill and disagreement among stakeholders, the House State Government Committee instructed the Advisory Committee on Open Government to study the issue and provide them with [...]

12 Apr, 2016

Two bills on transparency of police shooting investigations advance in Legislature

By Deborah Fisher|2018-11-09T08:23:45-06:00April 12, 2016|Categories: crime records, Legislature|Tags: legislature, police shootings, State Rep. G.A. Hardaway, State Sen. Brian Kelsey, TBI|0 Comments

A Shelby County state senator and Memphis state representative have both gained passage in legislative committees of different amendments to bills that would govern access to TBI files in police shooting investigations. Both amendments carve out a pathway for the public to see elements of the investigation that led to a decision to clear law enforcement officers or charge them. Most police shootings where someone is killed in Tennessee do not result in charges against the officer. State Sen. Brian Kelsey An amendment to S.B 2023 by State Sen. Brian Kelsey, R-Germantown, says: "After completion of an investigation by the Tennessee bureau of investigation into an officer-involved shooting [...]