Robertson testifies on HB1872

I’m Jim Robertson. I work at the Columbia Daily Tribune, but today I’m representing the Missouri Sunshine Coalition in support of House Bill 1872.

The Sunshine Coalition supports open government and opposes those who would pull curtains around the operations of government. Especially frustrating are opponents of Open Government who lobby against transparency with taxpayer funding.

Associations draw membership dues from cities, counties, school districts, ambulance districts, fire protection districts, the county clerks, the police chiefs, the county assessors, the county sheriffs and other public bodies and offices.

In turn, the associations hire individuals to lobby, and often those lobbyists are directed by the associations to derail Open Government issues.

Individuals have a constitutional right to press their concerns on issues. But not at taxpayer expense. Some past examples of attempts to insert secrecy in government include:

* Public hospitals, built and supported by taxpayers, and their lobbyists wanted to close various financial records to the public.
* Police and law enforcement lobbyists for several years running, including this year, want to shield police who are investigated for doing bad acts.
* State corrections lobbyists and officials successfully closed information to the public about how Missouri executes death-row inmates.
* This week lobbyists from taxpayer funded associations lined up to oppose legislation that would turn back the clock on Non-Elections held in water districts, school districts, fire protection districts, ambulance districts.

Today, elections in those districts are not held when the number of candidates filing equals the number of offices to be filled. This scheme eliminates write-in candidates, it doesn’t promote citizen involvement, and it’s not good government.

Public funds should not be used for lobbying against their public. There at least needs to be accountability to the public on how their tax dollars are spent by various associations. If the organization receives sources of public funding, it should be required to report that funding, and it should be required to report who gets the money, how much, and for what purpose it’s spent on lobbying. Thank you.

HB1872

Sunshine Week 2010 - March 14-20

Visit Sunshineweek.org

Sunshine Week is March14-20, 2010 and this year's celebration is aimed at highlighting the efforsts of those individuals who have fought tirelessly for the last year to make their state or local public institutions more open and accessible.

Media organizations and other groups throughout the nation are being asked to honor those people whose work has made their communities better places to live.

Sunshine Week, launched in 2005 by ASNE, is held annually to promote dialogue about the importance of open government and freedom of information. Participants include hundreds of print, broadcast and online news media, civic groups, libraries, nonprofits, schools and others interested in the public's right to know.

 

Sunshine Week contest to honor 'Local Heroes' of open government

January 29, 2010
This year's Sunshine Week celebration will honor individuals who fought tirelessly last year to make their state or local public institutions more open and accessible.

During Sunshine Week (March 14-20) media organizations and other groups throughout the nation will highlight the efforts of these Local Heroes whose work has made their communities better places to live.

In addition to that coverage, the American Society of News Editors will conduct a contest to identify the top three Local Heroes of 2010. The first-place winner will receive an all-expenses paid trip in April to Washington, D.C., to be honored at the 2010 ASNE convention. The second- and third-place winners will receive $500 and $250, respectively. All of the winners will be profiled on the Sunshine Week Web site, and their accomplishments will be publicized by Sunshine Week staff and participating groups.

Sunshine Week, launched in 2005 by ASNE, is held annually to promote dialogue about the importance of open government and freedom of information. Participants include hundreds of print, broadcast and online news media, civic groups, libraries, nonprofits, schools and others interested in the public's right to know.

Some examples of the kinds of achievements that might qualify for Local Hero status include the following:
-- A citizen who launched a successful campaign to open local public meetings.
-- A blogger who filed a state or federal FOIA request or sued a public institution under FOIA laws and uncovered previously hidden information that had a major impact in their community.
-- An investigative reporter whose use of state or federal public-records laws revealed a threat that moved local officials to make changes that protected the safety of local citizens.

ASNE encourages local media and civic organizations to nominate one of their own employees or members to compete for a Local Hero prize. Nominations may be submitted by completing a brief form on the Sunshine Week Web site and uploading supporting materials. The deadline for nominations is Friday, Feb. 26.

Winners will be announced the following week.
If you have any questions about the contest or Sunshine Week, please contact Cristal Williams Chancellor at 703-453-1138 or cwilliams@asne.org.
Sunshine Week is funded primarily by a grant from the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation of Miami.

Sunshine Week also has received major organizational support from the National Freedom of Information Coalition the Society of Professional Journalists, the Radio and Television Digital News Association and others who have partnered to ensure that it thrives and grows.

 

NEW FREEDOM OF INFORMATION GRANTS AVAILABLE

Charles Davis, director of the National Freedom of Information Center at the University of Missouri is seeking your help in spreading the word about a new Knight Foundation grant NFOIC has received.

Charles says a huge part of the grant is a newly created legal fund to support FOI cases. Please review the grant here, http://www.nfoic.org/knight-foi-defense-fund

Check out the news release and spread the word far and wide. Contact your state's FOI coalition if you hear of any budding FOI cases that need upfront costs supported.

Federal Open Government Guide NOW AVAILABLE!

The Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press has released the 10th edition of its guide to federal open government laws, now titled the “Federal Open Government Guide.”

The guide provides resources to navigate the federal Freedom of Information Act, the 43-year-old law that provides the public with access to government agency records. The new edition also addresses the federal open meetings law (Government in the Sunshine Act), the Privacy Act and the Federal Advisory Committee Act, which provides a right of access to records and meetings of advisors outside the government.

For more complex situations, attorneys at the Reporters Committee are also available to aid reporters using these laws, free of charge, at (703) 807-2100 or via email at hotline@rcfp.org.

The Federal Open Government Guide is available free of charge through the Reporters Committee’s website at: www.rcfp.org/fogg.

Hard copies of the guide are available for $10 per copy. To order the guide, call (703) 807-2100, email publications@rcfp.org, or visit www.rcfp.org/orderform.