Transparency News 1/10/2017
Tuesday, January 10, 2017
State and Local Stories
State and Local Stories
Don’t forget to sign up for our Sunshine Caucus — people willing to call, write, visit or testify on bills during the legislative session.
A new Metro safety oversight commission is a step closer to happening as the Virginia and Maryland legislatures convene this week. Officials in both states had been concerned that the legislation would be delayed this year, but the plan got a boost after Virginia obtained a concession that the new commission’s board would have to give unanimous consent before ordering any shutdown of the transit system, legislators and others said. The D.C. Council passed a bill last month creating the commission. Maryland and Virginia must approve identical versions of the legislation to establish the commission, which will have more authority over Metro safety than its widely criticized predecessor, the Tri-State Oversight Committee. Earlier changes were made in the draft to address objections that the commission could shield much of its work and findings from the public. It was agreed that the commission would be subject to the U.S. Freedom of Information Act and other federal transparency policies.
Washington Post
Calling the Bedford County’s technology system antiquated, the county’s Information Technology Director Robert Floyd asked the Bedford County Board of Supervisors for about $540,000 Monday to install a new system that would increase security and reliability. The county’s IT system serves numerous departments, including administration, economic development, the sheriff’s office, the county attorney, parks and recreation, the courthouse and the public schools. In recent years, his department has faced issues like information security breaches, dropped calls, slow and unreliable network performances, virus outbreaks, and inability to recover documents from hardware and software failures. “Losing data is never acceptable and there is no excuse,” he said. “The bottom line is the current maintenance and quick-fix replacement costs to maintain outdated IT infrastructure is unacceptable and must be remediated.”
News & Advance
With no fanfare, the Middletown Town Council announced Monday that it would not reappoint R. Phillip Breeden as its chief of police. Council then proceeded to appoint Officer Warren M. Houde as its interim chief. After the meeting, Mayor Charles Harbaugh IV, Councilman and Public Safety Committee Chair Scott Fink, and Town Manager Rebecca Layman all declined comment on why council chose not to reappoint the former chief. In the wake of Breeden’s ousting, officers Douglas B. McNeill and Jerry Sanders, along with Administrative Assistant Janet H. Smith, resigned with their chief, according to Harbaugh. As of Monday evening, the only two members of the department are Chief Houde and Detective Steve Goldizen. When asked for comment on the officers’ resignation, Fink and Harbaugh declined. Though council announced the change Monday night, several citizens had caught wind of the action before the meeting and spoke out on Breeden’s behalf.
Northern Virginia Daily
Leesburg Town Council conducted a closed executive session so members could have an “open and honest conversation” about appointing someone to serve on the town's governing body on an interim basis. Making the motion to discuss appointment behind closed doors was newcomer Ron Campbell, who said council would be able to better discuss the process in private. Campbell said closed session would allow the council members to have “open and honest conversation.” “Not to hide things from the public, but among ourselves the consideration that might allow a swing vote,” Campbell said. The motion to enter closed session came after several split votes on the five final applicants seeking the appointment.
Loudoun Times-Mirror
State Sen. Siobhan S. Dunnavant, a Henrico County physician, broke federal health privacy rules by sending a political solicitation to her patients during her 2015 campaign, according to a letter from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ civil rights office. Dunnavant’s decision to share patient contact information with her Senate campaign and its direct-mail business was “impermissible” under federal HIPAA law, HHS investigators wrote in a letter last month informing Dunnavant and her attorney that the case was being closed.
Richmond Times-Dispatch
National Stories
Sen. Jeff Sessions, who will appear before the Senate tomorrow for his confirmation as Attorney General of the United States, has over the years taken positions on a number of issues affecting journalists and media organizations, according to a report released today by the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press. Sessions has opposed a federal reporter’s shield law and reforms to the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), and supported surveillance policies that threaten confidential reporter-source relationships. On the other hand, he supported a bill that made it harder for libel plaintiffs to enforce judgments in the U.S. from foreign countries that don’t offer sufficient speech protections. The entire report is available on the Reporters Committee website.
Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press
Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder visited Flint Friday and signed legislation that will require Michigan communities to be notified much more quickly than Flint was about elevated lead levels in their drinking water. Friday's bill signing marks the first policy change signed into state law as a result of the Flint water crisis.
Governing
Arizona State Rep. Lela Alston has difficulty hearing. Despite wearing hearing aids, she has struggled to follow bill debates on the House floor, and even been reluctant to participate. Thanks to new technology at the state Capitol, Alston and more than 1 million Arizonans with hearing loss can now more easily engage in the legislative process. The Arizona Legislature this week became only the second state capital to provide looping technology that directly broadcasts amplified sound to hearing aids and cochlear implants. Most hearing aids already include "telecoils" required to use the technology. Individuals can access it by just pushing a button on their device.
Governing
Starting on Wednesday, Hamil-fans will be able to enjoy a double dose of America’s newly favorite founding father: a public exhibition of a trove of documents held privately for more than two centuries by descendants of Alexander Hamilton, in a display at Sotheby’s designed by David Korins, the set designer for the musical “Hamilton.” But one morning last month, many of the documents, which will be auctioned on Jan. 18, were spread on a table in a conference room at Sotheby’s Manhattan headquarters. Joanne Freeman, a historian at Yale and a leading expert on Hamilton, had come to look through them. Ms. Freeman is a seasoned archive hound, but this was no ordinary day at the office. When Selby Kiffer, an international senior specialist at the auction house, pulled out a simple sheet inside a protective plastic sleeve, she fell into a hush. “This is one of the most consequential documents in American history,” Mr. Kiffer said, holding up the 1777 commission naming Hamilton, then a promising but obscure military officer, aide-de-camp to Gen. George Washington.
New York Times
Editorials/Columns
It’s optimistic to believe that this (or really any) legislative session in Virginia will make a turn toward openness and away from punching holes in the law that ensures public access to documents and meetings. But maybe, just maybe, this could be a session where lawmakers choose to hold the line on those principles and act with deference toward the people’s right to know.
Virginian-Pilot
Advocates for removing convicted Norfolk City Treasurer Anthony Burfoot from office must feel stymied. Every time they try to oust the disgraced official, pesky roadblocks like due process hinder their efforts. Such protections are necessary. Even with them, though, Burfoot should’ve gracefully stepped aside. He’s been impervious to shame – or common decency – as legal proceedings continue. He should resign or take a leave of absence now that he’s been convicted, though he apparently can’t be forced to do so. He’s an elected official, and Virginia law allows Burfoot to remain in office while he appeals.
Roger Chesley, Virginian-Pilot
A new Metro safety oversight commission is a step closer to happening as the Virginia and Maryland legislatures convene this week. Officials in both states had been concerned that the legislation would be delayed this year, but the plan got a boost after Virginia obtained a concession that the new commission’s board would have to give unanimous consent before ordering any shutdown of the transit system, legislators and others said. The D.C. Council passed a bill last month creating the commission. Maryland and Virginia must approve identical versions of the legislation to establish the commission, which will have more authority over Metro safety than its widely criticized predecessor, the Tri-State Oversight Committee. Earlier changes were made in the draft to address objections that the commission could shield much of its work and findings from the public. It was agreed that the commission would be subject to the U.S. Freedom of Information Act and other federal transparency policies.
Washington Post
Calling the Bedford County’s technology system antiquated, the county’s Information Technology Director Robert Floyd asked the Bedford County Board of Supervisors for about $540,000 Monday to install a new system that would increase security and reliability. The county’s IT system serves numerous departments, including administration, economic development, the sheriff’s office, the county attorney, parks and recreation, the courthouse and the public schools. In recent years, his department has faced issues like information security breaches, dropped calls, slow and unreliable network performances, virus outbreaks, and inability to recover documents from hardware and software failures. “Losing data is never acceptable and there is no excuse,” he said. “The bottom line is the current maintenance and quick-fix replacement costs to maintain outdated IT infrastructure is unacceptable and must be remediated.”
News & Advance
With no fanfare, the Middletown Town Council announced Monday that it would not reappoint R. Phillip Breeden as its chief of police. Council then proceeded to appoint Officer Warren M. Houde as its interim chief. After the meeting, Mayor Charles Harbaugh IV, Councilman and Public Safety Committee Chair Scott Fink, and Town Manager Rebecca Layman all declined comment on why council chose not to reappoint the former chief. In the wake of Breeden’s ousting, officers Douglas B. McNeill and Jerry Sanders, along with Administrative Assistant Janet H. Smith, resigned with their chief, according to Harbaugh. As of Monday evening, the only two members of the department are Chief Houde and Detective Steve Goldizen. When asked for comment on the officers’ resignation, Fink and Harbaugh declined. Though council announced the change Monday night, several citizens had caught wind of the action before the meeting and spoke out on Breeden’s behalf.
Northern Virginia Daily
Leesburg Town Council conducted a closed executive session so members could have an “open and honest conversation” about appointing someone to serve on the town's governing body on an interim basis. Making the motion to discuss appointment behind closed doors was newcomer Ron Campbell, who said council would be able to better discuss the process in private. Campbell said closed session would allow the council members to have “open and honest conversation.” “Not to hide things from the public, but among ourselves the consideration that might allow a swing vote,” Campbell said. The motion to enter closed session came after several split votes on the five final applicants seeking the appointment.
Loudoun Times-Mirror
State Sen. Siobhan S. Dunnavant, a Henrico County physician, broke federal health privacy rules by sending a political solicitation to her patients during her 2015 campaign, according to a letter from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ civil rights office. Dunnavant’s decision to share patient contact information with her Senate campaign and its direct-mail business was “impermissible” under federal HIPAA law, HHS investigators wrote in a letter last month informing Dunnavant and her attorney that the case was being closed.
Richmond Times-Dispatch
National Stories
Sen. Jeff Sessions, who will appear before the Senate tomorrow for his confirmation as Attorney General of the United States, has over the years taken positions on a number of issues affecting journalists and media organizations, according to a report released today by the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press. Sessions has opposed a federal reporter’s shield law and reforms to the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), and supported surveillance policies that threaten confidential reporter-source relationships. On the other hand, he supported a bill that made it harder for libel plaintiffs to enforce judgments in the U.S. from foreign countries that don’t offer sufficient speech protections. The entire report is available on the Reporters Committee website.
Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press
Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder visited Flint Friday and signed legislation that will require Michigan communities to be notified much more quickly than Flint was about elevated lead levels in their drinking water. Friday's bill signing marks the first policy change signed into state law as a result of the Flint water crisis.
Governing
Arizona State Rep. Lela Alston has difficulty hearing. Despite wearing hearing aids, she has struggled to follow bill debates on the House floor, and even been reluctant to participate. Thanks to new technology at the state Capitol, Alston and more than 1 million Arizonans with hearing loss can now more easily engage in the legislative process. The Arizona Legislature this week became only the second state capital to provide looping technology that directly broadcasts amplified sound to hearing aids and cochlear implants. Most hearing aids already include "telecoils" required to use the technology. Individuals can access it by just pushing a button on their device.
Governing
Starting on Wednesday, Hamil-fans will be able to enjoy a double dose of America’s newly favorite founding father: a public exhibition of a trove of documents held privately for more than two centuries by descendants of Alexander Hamilton, in a display at Sotheby’s designed by David Korins, the set designer for the musical “Hamilton.” But one morning last month, many of the documents, which will be auctioned on Jan. 18, were spread on a table in a conference room at Sotheby’s Manhattan headquarters. Joanne Freeman, a historian at Yale and a leading expert on Hamilton, had come to look through them. Ms. Freeman is a seasoned archive hound, but this was no ordinary day at the office. When Selby Kiffer, an international senior specialist at the auction house, pulled out a simple sheet inside a protective plastic sleeve, she fell into a hush. “This is one of the most consequential documents in American history,” Mr. Kiffer said, holding up the 1777 commission naming Hamilton, then a promising but obscure military officer, aide-de-camp to Gen. George Washington.
New York Times
Editorials/Columns
It’s optimistic to believe that this (or really any) legislative session in Virginia will make a turn toward openness and away from punching holes in the law that ensures public access to documents and meetings. But maybe, just maybe, this could be a session where lawmakers choose to hold the line on those principles and act with deference toward the people’s right to know.
Virginian-Pilot
Advocates for removing convicted Norfolk City Treasurer Anthony Burfoot from office must feel stymied. Every time they try to oust the disgraced official, pesky roadblocks like due process hinder their efforts. Such protections are necessary. Even with them, though, Burfoot should’ve gracefully stepped aside. He’s been impervious to shame – or common decency – as legal proceedings continue. He should resign or take a leave of absence now that he’s been convicted, though he apparently can’t be forced to do so. He’s an elected official, and Virginia law allows Burfoot to remain in office while he appeals.
Roger Chesley, Virginian-Pilot
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