Committee nixes letting counties put financial information online rather than in newspapers
State lawmakers killed legislation that would have let Colorado counties publish fiscal information on their websites rather than in newspapers.
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Bipartisan bill would make the state public defender’s office subject to CORA
HB 15-1101 would make the records of the state public defender and the office of alternate defense counsel subject to CORA, except for privileged attorney-client records, as defined by the proposal.
Statehouse floor access no longer an issue for The Colorado Independent
Legislative leaders have approved Statehouse floor credentials for The Colorado Independent based on the recommendation of the Capitol press corps. The news nonprofit was denied similar credentials in 2014 because of its past affiliation with left-leaning political advocacy groups.
Download Zansberg’s Communications Lawyer article on cloud-based public records
Technology has made it easier than ever for governments to generate information, yet it also raises barriers to the public’s ability to inspect those records. CFOIC President Steve Zansberg explores this issue in an article for Communications Lawyer magazine.
CFOIC’s year in review: Transparency highlights and lowlights from 2014
For the CFOIC, revisiting 2014 reveals a somewhat troubling string of stories about issues and problems affecting government transparency in Colorado. Consider them one by one and you might not be all that concerned. But put them in a list and you could reasonably conclude that open government in the Centennial State is still a work in progress.
New tracking service compares lawmakers’ votes with constituency likes and dislikes
Legislative-tracking services are great for getting information on bills making their way through the Colorado legislature and for following how each state lawmaker votes. But how can you tell if a legislator votes for a bill that her constituency doesn’t like? Or if she votes against a bill that her constituency thinks is terrific?
Should Colorado’s Sunshine Law apply to county canvass boards?
With possible recounts no longer going forward in three counties, the 2014 election is essentially in the books. But a question lingers: Should county canvass boards, those groups of registered voters appointed to certify election results, be subject to Colorado’s Sunshine Law?
Successfully challenging a public-records denial should ensure legal fees, amicus brief argues
Successfully challenging a denial of public records entitles you to some portion of your attorneys’ fees even if it was a records custodian who initiated the court action, the Colorado Freedom of Information Coalition and two other organizations argued in a friend-of-the-court brief.
Estimate citing $475-per-hour rate to review a public records request “issued in error”
Public records aren’t supposed to be prohibitively expensive – that was the goal of a new state law capping research-and-retrieval fees. So we were surprised to see a $2,440 estimate to review records from a special district in Falcon.
Why Colorado’s Sunshine Law covers the student government at CSU
Plenty of evidence suggests that CSU’s student government is subject to the Sunshine Law and, therefore, a reporter for the student newspaper should not have been barred from a hearing to impeach a student senator.