legislature Archives - Page 12 of 12 - Tennessee Coalition for Open Government

10 Feb, 2014

Two lawmakers receive TPA’s open government award

By Deborah Fisher|2014-04-09T16:50:30-05:00February 10, 2014|Categories: Legislature|Tags: legislature, open government, Tennessee Press Association|0 Comments

Tennessee state Sen. Ken Yager, a Harriman Republican and chairman of the Senate State and Local Government Committee, and state Rep. Ryan Haynes, R-Knoxville, receive the Tennessee Press Association's 2014 Open Government Award. They are pictured here with TPA President Lynn Richardson. Two legislative leaders from East Tennessee are the 2014 recipients of the Tennessee Press Association’s coveted “Open Government Award.” The awards were presented to Sen. Ken Yager, a Harriman Republican and chairman of the Senate State and Local Government Committee, and Rep. Ryan Haynes, R-Knoxville, on Feb. 6 at TPA’s Convention and Winter Institute in Nashville. Haynes chairs the House State Government Committee. TPA President Lynn [...]

4 Feb, 2014

How does your local government stack up in transparency?

By Deborah Fisher|2014-04-09T16:54:09-05:00February 4, 2014|Categories: transparency|Tags: government transparency initiatives, government websites, legislature|0 Comments

Back in October, a report chock full of information about transparency in local and state governments was released by the Tennessee Advisory Commission on Intergovernmental Relations. Specifically, the report examined public information and data posted on state government websites, as well as sampled several county, city and school system websites for the same. The study had been requested following two bills in 2012 that sought to require state and local governments, including school districts, to post more and specific information on their websites. There were both terrific examples of transparency initiatives as well as some results that might be downright exasperating in the Internet age. The examples from other states [...]

27 Jan, 2014

An early look at bills that could reduce transparency
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An early look at bills that could reduce transparency

Legislature

An early look at bills that could reduce transparency

By Deborah Fisher|2014-04-09T16:57:36-05:00January 27, 2014|Categories: Legislature|Tags: legislature, Open Records Act exemptions, public notice|0 Comments

With the legislative session under way, the Tennessee Coalition for Open Government is tracking proposed bills that could reduce government transparency, as well as some that could make government more open. Lawmakers have until Feb. 5 to file bills, so the list could grow. Two bills would add broad new exceptions to the public records law. One, (S.B. 2254) by state Sen. Becky Duncan Massey, R-Knoxville, would make confidential the names, addresses and telephone numbers of sexual assault victims. The bill as introduced, goes further with this blanket language: “No portion of any report, paper, picture, photograph, video, court file, or other document in the custody or possession of any [...]

10 Dec, 2013

Should execution drugs be a state secret?
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Should execution drugs be a state secret?

execution drugs, exemptions

Should execution drugs be a state secret?

By Deborah Fisher|2014-05-02T06:48:22-05:00December 10, 2013|Categories: execution drugs, exemptions|Tags: Claudia Bonnyman, execution drugs, legislature, litigation|1 Comment

© Photographer1773 | Dreamstime Stock Photos & Stock Free Images By Deborah Fisher, Executive Director of Tennessee Coalition for Open Government Does the public have a right to know about the drugs used to execute death row inmates? This question has been raised in recent months in court in at least three states, two of which recently enacted new laws or protocols to keep secret from citizens the source of execution drugs. In 2011, at least six states, including Tennessee, had their execution drugs seized or taken by the DEA after it became clear that the drugs had been imported illegally. States have sought to keep their new [...]