lawmaker travel

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 [...]

21 Mar, 2017

Senate committee approves bill requiring more financial disclosure by lawmakers

By |2021-02-02T12:19:27-06:00March 21, 2017|Categories: Legislature|Tags: , , , |0 Comments

The Senate State and Local Government Committee recommended for passage legislation that would require members of the General Assembly to disclose when they receive trips paid by a person with an interest in public policy. State Sen. Doug Overbey, R-Maryville The bill, sponsored by state Sen. Doug Overbey, R-Maryville, and state Rep. Gerald McCormick, R-Chattanooga, came about after stories reported by The Tennessean of a Gulf Shores fishing trip hosted by a school voucher advocate,  a trip to Europe for lawmakers to learn about “radical Islam,”  and trips to tour a North Carolina school, also funded by a voucher proponent. Overbey told the committee that his bill does not [...]

20 Mar, 2017

Ethics bills would require lawmaker disclosure of gifts, including for travel

By |2017-03-20T11:03:17-05:00March 20, 2017|Categories: Legislature|Tags: , , , , , |1 Comment

Two different sets of ethics legislation on House and Senate calendars this week would require more disclosure of gifts, including for travel, received by lawmakers from people with an interest in influencing public policy. Both sets of bills would increase transparency. Currently, anyone who is not a lobbyist or an employer of a lobbyist can give any amount of money or gift to a lawmaker and the lawmaker does not need to report that gift to the Tennessee Ethics Commission. The issue of such unreported gifts came to light last year after Dave Boucher and Joel Ebert of The Tennessean reported about a Gulf Shores fishing trip hosted by a [...]

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