Lawmaker offers proposal for resolving open-records disputes through mediation
A Colorado House bill is intended to encourage records requesters and government entities to resolve disputes through mediation rather than in the court system.
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Commentary: It’s time to bring Colorado’s open-records act into the 21st century
For half a century, public records laws have been indispensable tools for disproving “alternative facts” and getting to the truth about government spending, activities and decision making. But in our state, the Colorado Open Records Act (CORA) is showing its age, especially regarding access to the myriad records maintained in spreadsheets and databases by state agencies, cities, counties and other taxpayer-funded entities covered by the law.
House committee again rejects bill to make judicial branch records subject to CORA
It happened to be Groundhog Day when a House committee killed Rep. Polly Lawrence’s latest effort to make administrative records of Colorado’s judicial branch subject to the state’s open records law.
What is the public entitled to know when a government board closes a meeting?
How much specificity is required under the law when a government body votes to go into executive session? In two recent court decisions, judges in Jefferson and Eagle counties offered starkly different viewpoints.
Judge finds charter school board met illegally behind closed doors but rejects other allegations
A Jefferson County charter school board violated Colorado’s Open Meetings Law by failing to sufficiently announce the topics of two closed-door meetings in 2015, a district court judge has ruled.
Legislative preview: 2017 could bring big changes to Colorado’s open-records law
State lawmakers could substantially reform the Colorado Open Records Act during the 2017 legislative session.
Fake news to ‘fishing expeditions’: CFOIC looks back at 2016
Will 2016 be remembered as the year we realized just how much our democracy depends on an informed citizenry? The fake news epidemic was one of many issues the Colorado Freedom of Information Coalition highlighted in 2016 or wrote about on its blog.
Legislative committee votes to shred old General Assembly files dating to the 1930s
A committee of state lawmakers recommended the destruction of old files on bills and amendments prepared for members of the General Assembly.
Video: Talking about fake news
Jeff Roberts, executive director of the Colorado Freedom of Information Coalition, discussed the fake news phenomenon with 9NEWS investigative reporter Jeremy Jojola.
Legislator plans another try at making Colorado judicial branch subject to CORA
A Republican state lawmaker said she will try again during the 2017 legislative session to make Colorado’s judicial branch subject to the state’s open-records law.