Transparency News 1/20/17

Friday, January 20, 2017


The email distribution system yesterday sent out only 100 newsletters instead of the more than 400 on the list. Here is a link if you were among those (like I was!) who did not receive yesterday’s Transparency News.
http://www.opengovva.org/transparency-news-1192017


State and Local Stories

A local effort to establish standard protocols for investigating officer-involved shootings died in subcommittee Thursday. So did bills to require body camera usage policies for law enforcement departments across the state. The House's Republican majority tabled House Bill 2099, 3-2, on a party-line vote in subcommittee. Identical legislation from state Sen. Mamie Locke, D-Hampton, remains alive in the Senate, but Thursday's vote bodes poorly for its chances.
Daily Press

A bill sponsored by 29th District Del. Chris Collins, R-Frederick County, is meant to prevent a defendant from gaining access to the personal information of jurors; it is being opposed by the Virginia Coalition for Open Government and the Virginia Press Association. Collins conceived of House Bill 1546 after a local convicted murderer, Christopher Lee Baker, obtained a list of jurors from his murder trial and sent some of them letters threatening to harm them if money was not deposited into his inmate account at the Northwestern Regional Adult Detention Center. Megan Rhyne, executive director of the Virginia Coalition for Open Government, doesn’t see the need for a new law because a judge can already make juror information confidential “when there’s been the possibility of bribery, tampering, or physical injury or harassment.”
Winchester Star

There’s been yet another twist in the lengthy spat over how to address school overcrowding in Prince William County, as the school board is now invalidating a vote it held earlier this month to accept $21.3 million from the Prince William Board of Supervisors for school improvements on both ends of the county. The board voted 4-3 at its Jan. 18 meeting to strike the minutes and “associated votes” from an unorthodox special meetingheld on Jan. 4 to address the issue, calling that gathering “improper.” Willie Deutsch of the Coles District, Diane Raulston of the Neabsco District and Shawn Brann of the Brentsville District provided the dissenting votes, while Alyson Satterwhite of the Gainesville District didn’t attend the meeting.
Inside NOVA

Biking and hiking trails, improved drainage and driverless busses are priorities for newly-elected City Councilmember Jessica Abbott, who was sworn in this month to represent the Kempsville District.  Abbott said she would like to make it easier for citizens to interact with their city government by increasing the use of social media. She would like to stream meetings live on Facebook so that citizens can post comments in real time. “I am an advocate for transparency,” Abbot said during an interview.  “I want to make it easier for people to work with the city.”
Princess Anne Independent News

The Virginian-Pilot and ProPublica filed a lawsuit Thursday in federal court against the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, accusing the agency of stonewalling requests for documents under the Freedom of Information Act. The lawsuit, ProPublica’s second against the VA in two months, seeks a preliminary injunction compelling the government to immediately release correspondence about Agent Orange, an herbicide used to kill vegetation during the Vietnam War. The documents sought include those sent to and received by Dr. David Shulkin, the VA’s undersecretary for health. Shulkin has been nominated to be VA secretary by President-elect Donald Trump.
Virginian-Pilot