Newsletter
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VCOG Bulletin board, April 2010
At its March 2010 meeting in Roanoke, the VCOG Board of Directors elected two new at-large members to the board: Forrest M. “Frosty” Landon, VCOG’s founding executive director and former editor of The Roanoke Times; and Jeff South, associate professor in VCU’s School of Mass Communications. Both were elected to three-year, renewable terms. Their seats…
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President’s Note, April 2010
Our Virginia Coalition for Open Government is fortunate to have an active, forward-thinking board. The work being done by our recently formed Futures Committee is emblematic of the efforts of our board to strengthen the Coalition for furthering the cause of open government in Virginia. The Futures Committee met in February at Virginia Press Association…
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The ayes had these
When Westmoreland County held its public meetings in a courtroom, the local judge there refused to let cameras in, despite the fact that FOIA says meetings can be recorded. VCOG contacted Del. Albert Pollard about the problem, and though he didn’t directly intervene (Sen. Richard Stuart did), he did make good on his promise to…
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Sunshine did not prevail every time
There were some good ideas that may have been ahead of their time. Then there were so-so bills that close off certain information, but which nonetheless follow FOIA’s policy of being narrowly drawn to address a specific need. Some of the pro-access bills that were killed had something in common: they called for the proactive…
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Ethics reform
Though a slew of ethics reform bills were introduced, most prompted by the aborted investigation into former Del. Phil Hamilton and the relationship between his job at an ODU teaching facility and legislative funding, only a few made it through to the chamber floors. Some were rolled into others, some were amended beyond recognition, and…
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The saga of the threat assessment teams bill
Following the horrific shootings at Virginia Tech in 2008, the legislature directed public universities to set up “threat assessment teams,” made up of campus police, mental health, student services and others, to identify potentially violent students, faculty and staff. Led by the University of Virginia’s lobbyist Rob Lockridge, the colleges came first to the FOIA…
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Resolutely Speaking
VCOG was especially pleased with two resolutions introduced this session (really, three resolutions, but two on the same topic). VCOG stopped by each sponsor’s office to offer its thanks. One resolution, sponsored by Harvey Morgan (R-Gloucester) in the House and Ralph Northam (D-Norfolk) in the Senate, celebrates the life of the former House Speaker John…
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Sun breaks through at VCOG annual conference
More than 70 people attended the Virginia Coalition for Open Government’s 10th conference, Access 2009, at the historic Stonewall Jackson Hotel in Staunton.Attorney General-elect, Ken Cuccinelli (right), then a candidate, spoke to the group on Oct. 16, and more than a dozen panelists and moderators covered a range of topics: from FOIA basics and judicial…
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Remember FOIA when contemplating new technology
Back when he was still roaming the halls of the Virginia General Assembly, and keeping everyone laughing along the way, Del. Chip Woodrum added a nice little provision to the law governing purchases made under the Virginia Public Procurement Act.Section 2.2-1111(B)(2) says the Department of General Services’ Division of Purchases and Supply may require that…
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VCOG honors citizen, media & government FOI heroes
The Virginia Coalition for Open Government gave its annual FOI awards to a Christiansburg citizen-activist, a Bristol reporter, and the IT departments of two Northern Virginia localities.Carol Lindstrom received the Laurence E. Richardson award for individual citizen contributions to open government. Lindstrom single-handedly created a city Web site since the Christiansburg government did not have…
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Around the Commonwealth (FOIA updates)
CHARLOTTESVILLE – The University of Virginia has begun posting its doctors’ financial dealings online for the world to see. According to a Daily Progress news story by reporter Ted Strong, the decision mirrors a national trend in the health-care industry toward stricter reporting standards and also part of a years-long progression at UVA toward greater…
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Calling All Attorneys!
Several times a month, the Virginia Coalition for Open Government fields calls from citizens on the verge of filing a FOIA lawsuit. The form for filing a suit in district court is relatively straightforward, and FOIA cases are put on an expedited docket. Still, citizens are understandably wary of embarking into the judicial system without…
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VCOG debuts e-newsetter
The Virginia Coalition for Open Government launched a monthly e-mail/Internet newsletter in November.Distributed using the online direct e-mail service Vertical Response, The Sunshine Report: Online is sent to those who have signed up to receive electronic copies of our paper newsletters, as well as to our listserv subscribers, members for whom we have e-mail addresses…
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Ten months after pledge, Obama releases openness plan
On Dec. 8, President Barack Obama issued the long-awaited Open Government Directive. The directive sets a schedule for agencies to meet various goals related to access to information. Announced by Obama’s Chief Technology Officer (and former Virginia Secretary of Technology) Aneesh Chopra, the directive was developed with public input as part of the Open Government…
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2010 Legislative Preview
The Virginia General Assembly will convene Jan. 13 for a 60-day session. The November 2009 elections resulted in a Republican gain of six House seats, for a Republican-Democrat-Independent split of 59-39-2.More than 30 races were uncontested, including Republican James Edmunds’ unopposed bid to fill Clarke Hogan’s seat in the 60th District.A recount in the 17th…
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FOIA Council Opinions & Updates
In a proposed measure endorsed by the FOI Advisory Council, FOIA would gain an exemption for the account numbers of personal and government credit cards, debit cards, bank accounts and other financial institution accounts.The council’s action came upon the recommendation of its Personal Identifying Information Subcommittee (PII), which met several times this summer and fall…
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FOIA 101 – Pre-meeting Meetings
The Freedom of Information Act defines a “meeting” as including work sessions of (i) as many as three members or (ii) a quorum, if less than three, of the constituent membership, wherever held, with or without minutes being taken, whether or not votes are cast, of any public body. If it’s a meeting under FOIA,…
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FOIAC’s hears 3 proposals at its 2009 legislative preview meeting
The FOI Advisory Council heard about three bills that might surface in the 2010 General Assembly session at its annual Legislative Preview meeting. The University of Virginia is seeking an exemption for “all records” generated by a threat assessment team (TAT) at a Virginia public school. TATs were mandated by law in response to…
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FOIAC’s Public Records subcommittee recommendations for 2009
The FOI Advisory Council’s subcommittee on Public Records decided not to take any action on a proposal by the Prince William County Schools (PWCS) to exempt from disclosure data collected by its Visitor Identification System (VIS). Visitors to Prince William schools are required to show some sort of official identification, which is then scanned into…
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FOIAC’s PII subcommittee recommendations for 2009
In a proposed measure endorsed by the the FOI Advisory Council, FOIA would gain an exemption for the account numbers of personal and government credit cards, debit cards, bank accounts and other accounts with financial institutions. The council’s action came upon the recommendation of its Personal Identifying Information Subcommittee (PII), which met several times this…
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FOIA Council updates & opinions
FOI Advisory Council opinions & updates Relying on an Attorney General opinion that said circuit courts are subject to FOIA, the FOI Advisory Council’s first opinion of 2009 (AO-01-09) concluded that the Office of the Executive Secretary of the Supreme Court of Virginia (OES) is subject to FOIA, too. As an entity that is…
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Ask us a FOIA Question
VCOG answers questions submitted through its Web site As a member of our town planning commission, I would like to know if state law requires that we take minutes of our work sessions. We currently have minutes of our public meetings recorded and printed, as well as having these meetings on public television. As some…
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VCOG bulletin board
Wat Hopkins, VCOG Immediate Past President and professor of communications at Virginia Tech, has been named the Roy H. Park Distinguished Visiting Professor in the School of Journalism and Mass Communication at the University of North Carolina for the spring semester of 2010. Hopkins, a North Carolina native, earned his Ph.D. from UNC. Rod…
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It was mostly sunny for FOI in ’09
Bad FOIA bills were few; other bills were pro-accessThis year’s General Assembly session forwarded at least 20 bills affecting records and meetings under the Freedom of Information Act to the governor, with the majority containing either positive, neutral or procedural changes for open government, and only three critically limiting public information. Five “good” FOIA fixes…
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The highs and lows of the legislative session
Impressions on the sausage-making factory from a "newbie"by Megan RhyneExecutive DirectorVirginia Coalition for Open GovernmentThough I’ve attended legislative committee meetings for the past several years as VCOG’s associate director, this was the first year — as executive director — that I immersed myself in the session. Everyone knows the comparison between making laws and making…