Hilton Head Island businessman Skip Hoagland scored big last month when a circuit court judge ruled that the Town of Hilton Head Island could not charge for the time it will take town staff to comply with a subpoena Hoagland has filed, seeking docume ...

The National Archives and Records Administration will create a committee to improve the way the government process Freedom of Information Act request, a May 5 Federal Register notice says. "NARA has determined that the creation of the FOIA Advisory Committee is in the public interest due to the expertise and valuable advice the Committee members will provide on issues related to improving the administration of FOIA," the notice says. read more ...

Through a 2013 federal Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request, the Independence Institute found some state officials circumventing transparency while serving in their official capacity, using personal, private email services to skirt the state’s Open Records Act and their own departmental guidelines on state employee email retention ...

Steamboat Pilot & Today is fighting a lawsuit brought by the Routt County Coroner's Office that seeks to keep autopsy reports secret for the 3-year-old boy who died March 27 in Steamboat Springs ...

The Colorado House unanimously passed SB 217, which is aimed at increasing lobbyist transparency ...

Given all the hype around so called big data at the moment, it would be easy to dismiss it as nothing more than the latest technology buzzword. This would be a mistake, given that the application and interpretation of huge – often publicly available – data sets is already supporting new models of creativity, innovation and engagement. To date, stories of big data's progress and successes have tended to come from government and the private sector, but we've heard little about its relevance to social organisations. Yet big data can fuel big social change. read more ...

Recently, in a victory for open data, both chambers of Congress passed with bipartisan support the Digital Accountability and Transparency Act. The bill now heads to the White House for President Barack Obama’s signature. The DATA Act would dra ...

One thing is clear — city officials want citizens to see how local government operates. Last month, the city of Aztec added a new page to its website in the effort to make public city records more accessible. The new page features links to request public records, access the city's annual budgets, look at gross receipts collections per year, examine bids and contracts, read the city's 10-year fiscal analysis and summary, and other information. read more ...

Prayers that open town council meetings do not violate the Constitution even if they routinely stress Christianity, a divided Supreme Court ruled Monday. The court said in 5-4 decision that the content of the prayers is not significant as long as they do not denigrate non-Christians or proselytize. The ruling by the court's conservative majority was a victory for the town of Greece, N.Y., outside of Rochester. The Obama administration sided with the town. read more ...

Adopting a tactic that has been used by officials ranging from Sarah Palin to staffers of New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, aides to New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo are sending emails from private accounts to conduct official business. I know because I got one myself. And three other people who interact with the governor's office on policy or media matters told me they have too. None of the others wanted to be named. read more ...