Transparency News 1/17/17
Tuesday, January 17, 2017
State and Local Stories
State and Local Stories
It would cost nearly $1.3 million to create a searchable statewide database of Virginia court cases, according to the state Supreme Court's administrative arm. Most of these records are searchable now, but only one jurisdiction at a time, turning a single statewide background check into a tedious process involving hundreds of separate searches at courts.state.va.us/caseinfo/. "Cumbersome, and unnecessarily so," said Megan Rhyne, head of the Virginia Coalition for Open Government. "Incredibly onerous," said Betsy Edwards, executive director of the Virginia Press Association.
Daily Press
The General Assembly will tinker with Virginia's ethics laws for the fourth year in a row, zeroing in, among other things, on a loophole that lets officials accept free football tickets. The bills also include a long list of other tweaks, many meant to simplify the implementation of reforms that the legislature first passed in 2014 as a response to former Gov. Bob McDonnell's gifts scandal. There's also a section redacting local officials home addresses and telephone numbers from public disclosure documents, a change one open government watchdog said bears watching.
Daily Press
A bill in the Virginia General Assembly aims to avoid another Anthony Burfoot situation. The Norfolk treasurer is able to stay in office after being convicted of bribery because under state law, a felony conviction forces a public official from office only once “all rights of appeal under Virginia law have expired.” On Monday, Del. Steve Heretick introduced HB 2364, which would automatically suspend any constitutional officer convicted of a felony regardless of any appeals, pleadings, delays or motions. The bill doesn’t specifically state who takes over, but other state law designates the highest-ranking deputy.
Virginian-Pilot
When Stafford County Sheriff Charles Jett hung up his badge at the close of 2015, his replacement, David Decatur, knew he had big shoes to fill. Decatur vowed to build on the legacy of his predecessor, and part of that promise included a commitment to transparency. In an effort to be more transparent and improve community engagement, the Sheriff’s Office last week presented its first-ever Year in Review for 2016, which highlights their accomplishments over the past 12 months, as well as their goals and challenges in the upcoming year. Decatur hopes to use social media to facilitate community engagement with law enforcement. Getting information out to the public efficiently and promptly will be a significant part of the Sheriff’s Office’s efforts to improve transparency.
Free Lance-Star
National Stories
Before he was the familiar bald and bespectacled founding father, Benjamin Franklin was a 17-year-old neophyte printer with burning ambition and something of a punk-rock visual sensibility. Or so it seems from the very first piece of his printing, which will go on view at the University of Pennsylvania on Tuesday — Franklin’s 311th birthday — after having been out of sight for nearly 200 years.
New York Times
Daily Press
The General Assembly will tinker with Virginia's ethics laws for the fourth year in a row, zeroing in, among other things, on a loophole that lets officials accept free football tickets. The bills also include a long list of other tweaks, many meant to simplify the implementation of reforms that the legislature first passed in 2014 as a response to former Gov. Bob McDonnell's gifts scandal. There's also a section redacting local officials home addresses and telephone numbers from public disclosure documents, a change one open government watchdog said bears watching.
Daily Press
A bill in the Virginia General Assembly aims to avoid another Anthony Burfoot situation. The Norfolk treasurer is able to stay in office after being convicted of bribery because under state law, a felony conviction forces a public official from office only once “all rights of appeal under Virginia law have expired.” On Monday, Del. Steve Heretick introduced HB 2364, which would automatically suspend any constitutional officer convicted of a felony regardless of any appeals, pleadings, delays or motions. The bill doesn’t specifically state who takes over, but other state law designates the highest-ranking deputy.
Virginian-Pilot
When Stafford County Sheriff Charles Jett hung up his badge at the close of 2015, his replacement, David Decatur, knew he had big shoes to fill. Decatur vowed to build on the legacy of his predecessor, and part of that promise included a commitment to transparency. In an effort to be more transparent and improve community engagement, the Sheriff’s Office last week presented its first-ever Year in Review for 2016, which highlights their accomplishments over the past 12 months, as well as their goals and challenges in the upcoming year. Decatur hopes to use social media to facilitate community engagement with law enforcement. Getting information out to the public efficiently and promptly will be a significant part of the Sheriff’s Office’s efforts to improve transparency.
Free Lance-Star
National Stories
Before he was the familiar bald and bespectacled founding father, Benjamin Franklin was a 17-year-old neophyte printer with burning ambition and something of a punk-rock visual sensibility. Or so it seems from the very first piece of his printing, which will go on view at the University of Pennsylvania on Tuesday — Franklin’s 311th birthday — after having been out of sight for nearly 200 years.
New York Times
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