Office of Open Records Counsel Archives - Page 5 of 9 - Tennessee Coalition for Open Government

14 Nov, 2016

Comptroller appoints new members to Advisory Committee on Open Government

By Deborah Fisher|2016-11-14T15:25:19-06:00November 14, 2016|Categories: Office of Open Records Counsel, Tennessee Coalition for Open Government|Tags: Adam Yeomans, Advisory Committee on Open Government, Debbie Shedden, Dennis Weber, Kathryn Strong, Maya Siggers, Office of Open Records Counsel, Rick Hollow|0 Comments

Six new members have been named to the 14-member Advisory Committee on Open Government (ACOG), representing six organizations. They are: TCOG representative: Adam Yeomans, Associated Press Regional Director for the South, replaces Memphis attorney Lucian Pera as TCOG's representative. Yeomans is vice president of TCOG's Board of Directors. Pera, TCOG's president, has served for the past two years. Tennessee Press Association representative: Jack McElroy, editor of the Knoxville News Sentinel, replaces Knoxville attorney Richard Hollow. McElroy is the most recent past president of TPA. Tennessee Municipal League representative: Maya Siggers, assistant city attorney for the city of Memphis, replaces Chad Jenkins. Jenkins had been the Tennessee Municipal League [...]

21 Sep, 2016

Government lawyer to join Open Records Counsel as new deputy

By Deborah Fisher|2016-09-21T09:48:56-05:00September 21, 2016|Categories: Office of Open Records Counsel|Tags: Ann Butterworth, Lee Pope, Office of Open Records Counsel|0 Comments

Lee Pope, an attorney with six years experience working in Tennessee state government, has been hired as Deputy Open Records Counsel, a newly created position in the Office of Open Records Counsel. Lee Pope, the new deputy open records counsel Pope's duties will include answering questions and resolving disputes regarding access to public records, said Jason Mumpower, chief of staff in the Comptroller's Office which houses the Open Records Counsel. Last year, an audit found the office fell far behind on answering inquiries, creating large backlogs. It requested and received funding from the Legislature to hire another attorney to assist Open Records Counsel Ann Butterworth in answering inquiries. Pope [...]

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 [...]

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 [...]

30 Mar, 2016

Watch the video, read excerpts, from House Committee meeting on body cam video

By Deborah Fisher|2016-03-30T09:44:14-05:00March 30, 2016|Categories: crime records, Legislature|Tags: Advisory Committee on Open Government, Office of Open Records Counsel, police body cameras, State Rep. Bill Sanderson, State Rep. Bob Ramsey, State Rep. Curry Todd, State Rep. Johnny Shaw, State Rep. William Lamberth|0 Comments

State Rep. Bob Ramsey, R-Maryville Discussion by members of the House State Government Committee about body cam video legislation that would close access to records mostly centered on how best to avoid advancing the bill and instead request that the Advisory Committee on Open Government study the issue. See video: House Committee discusses body cam legislation. The committee clearly expressed that it did not want to move forward with a bill, with state Rep. Bill Sanderson, R-Kenton, stripping down his amendment to the part requiring a study and recommendation from the advisory committee, and state Rep. William Lamberth, R-Cottontown, at one point saying that passing any bill, even amended, [...]