Transparency News, 5/7/21

The National Freedom of Information Coalition, a national 501(c)3 nonprofit, nonpartisan organization, surveyed and questioned its state and local affiliates in the Winter and Spring of 2021 to obtain each affiliate’s top policy priorities and top perceived threats to transparency. The survey results presented in the “2021 Transparency Policy Priorities” provide greater details of the state and local coalitions’ priorities and areas of concern, regarding policies and the state of transparency laws. Together, the coalitions’ stated priorities and their identified threats illustrate where the member coalitions focus their efforts and resources.
Read more about each: NFOIC
 

The Pasquotank County Board of Commissioners passed a resolution Thursday calling to change the state law that prevents the quick release of law enforcement body-cam videos. The resolution will be sent to the North Carolina General Assembly, which passed the law in 2016 that requires a court order to release body-cam video.
Daily Press

After being sued at least twice in recent years for withholding public records, the University of South Carolina says it will now charge to gather, review and release public documents. The charges are allowed under state law. Other local and state agencies already charge the public and the media for access to records. The university will charge $25 per hour to search and retrieve records, unless the requested documents include emails or texts, in which case USC will charge $40 per hour. It will cost $20 per hour to redact records and $.10 per page to print the documents, according to USC’s website. The charges will not apply to records requests that have already been filed.
The State