Transparency News 1/27/15
State and Local Stories
The General Assembly’s tech information arm is developing a new legislative information system (LIS) website and wants to hear from you! Share your experiences on using LIS with the DLAS Web department on Wednesday, January 28, 2015 from 12:00 pm - 12:45 pm in the General Assembly Building, 6th floor, Suite 660, DLAS Training Room #675. Feel free to bring your lunch.
There are a bunch of FOIA bills being heard by a Senate subcommittee tomorrow:
We support:
SB893, which removes the working papers exemption for college/university presidents. It’s nothing against the school heads themselves, but use of the working papers/correspondence exemption has been expanded far beyond an original intent to protect the deliberative process, not any- and everything a leader does.
SB969, which puts two parts of a definition of what is/isn’t a meeting into one place. This is not a substantive change, just an organizational one that makes sense.
We are OK with:
SB968, which says public health care committees that don’t have to turn over certain records under discovery don’t have to give them over in a FOIA request. (This was vetted through the FOIA Council prior to the session.)
We oppose -- in their current form:
SB1126, which exempts discussion of certain records related to resource management plans. It’s OK to exempt discussion of JUST those records, but as drafted, the proposal covers discussion of even more records. A House version has been amended to limit the exemption.
SB1402, which would exempt from discussions briefings and consultations on criminal street gang-related activities. It’s within a section that allows discussion of plans to deal with terrorism and security measures. The proposal is too broad as written and would allow a school board, for instance, to talk in secret about any and all gang activity at a school, depriving parents of the chance to make informed decisions about their children.
We are monitoring:
SB1109 and SB1129, records and meetings exemptions related to cybersecurity. The wording must remain narrow.
Please contact the subcommittee members to express your opinion. Also contact the bills’ patrons, who can be found when you click on the link for the bill itself.
Subcommittee
Sen. Locke (chair): district02@senate.virginia.gov
Sen. Barker: district39@senate.virginia.gov
Sen. Black: district13@senate.virginia.gov
Sen. Garret: district22@senate.virginia.gov
Sen. Martin: district11@senate.virginia.gov
Law enforcement is concerned that the popular Waze mobile traffic app by Google Inc., which provides real-time road conditions, can also be used to hunt and harm police. Waze is a combination of GPS navigation and social networking. Fifty million users in 200 countries turn to the free service for warnings about nearby congestion, car accidents, speed traps, traffic cameras, construction zones, potholes, stalled vehicles or unsafe weather conditions. Waze users mark police — who are generally working in public spaces — on maps without much distinction other than "visible" or "hidden." Users see a police icon, but it's not immediately clear whether police are there for a speed trap, a sobriety check or a lunch break. To some in law enforcement, this feature amounts to a stalking app for people who want to harm police. They want Google to disable that feature. Some officers, like Sheriff Mike Brown of Bedford County, Virginia, think it's only a matter of time before Waze is used to hunt and harm police. Nuala O'Connor, head of the Center for Democracy and Technology, a Washington civil liberties group, said it would not be appropriate for Google to disable the police-reporting feature. "I do not think it is legitimate to ask a person-to-person communication to cease simply because it reports on publicly visible law enforcement," she said.
Herald Courier
In the weeks following the demolition of the historic Rialto building, Councilwoman Treska Wilson-Smith, Ward 1, is asking why City Council was left out of the loop. Wilson-Smith brought up the issue during the Council meeting on Tuesday, when she said she found out about plans to demolish the Rialto through social media, instead of from city staff. The 1923 theatre, which hosted performers such as James Brown, was demolished by the city on Jan. 9, after an independent structural engineer determined that the building was in imminent danger of collapse. “I found out about it on Facebook which I don’t think is very nice if that’s the word,” Wilson-Smith said. “I would like to know what’s going on in the city I represent because citizens call us and they ask us questions and I had nothing to tell them because I didn’t know.”
Progress-Index
National Stories
For some emergencies, calling 911 isn't the most feasible option. You could risk tipping off your location to a home burglar. You could be stuck in backcountry, where the cell phone signal is so weak that a call won't connect. Or perhaps, you can't hear. In these and other cases, texting can be a lifesaver. In Oakland County, Mich., it's about to become an option.Governing
A former CIA officer who was involved in a highly secretive operation to give faulty nuclear plans to Iran was convicted Monday of providing classified information about his work to a New York Times reporter — a significant win for federal prosecutors and a presidential administration that has worked zealously to root out leakers. As guilty verdicts were read on all nine criminal counts, Jeffrey Sterling stared emotionless at the jurors who decided his fate. His wife, seated in the courtroom behind him, sobbed. The 47-year-old Missouri man is scheduled to be sentenced April 24 and remains free until then.
Washington Post
Indiana Gov. Mike Pence is starting a state-run taxpayer-funded news service that will provide pre-written news stories to Indiana news outlets, as well as sometimes break news about his administration, according to documents obtained by The Indianapolis Star. Pence is planning to launch "Just IN" in late February, a website and news service that will feature stories written by state press secretaries and is being overseen by a former Indianapolis Star reporter, Bill McCleery. "At times, Just IN will break news — publishing information ahead of any other news outlet. Strategies for determining how and when to give priority to such 'exclusive' coverage remain under discussion," according to a question-and-answer sheet distributed last week to communications directors for state agencies.
USA Today
Editorials/Columns
Daily Progress
In the wake of former Gov. Bob McDonnell’s conviction on federal corruption charges in a scandal that came to be known as “Giftgate,” ethics and the trust of the public have been at the forefront of legislators’ minds. For government to be effective, for elected officials to be able to serve the public who placed them in office, the public must first trust their government and their legislators. The McDonnell scandal, which resulted in the convictions of both the governor and his wife, was a low moment for the Old Dominion with its reputation for good government. Fortunately, as ethics reform legislation moves through the General Assembly, two Central Virginia legislators have shown the way forward for their colleagues: Sen. Steve Newman, R-Forest, and Del. Ben Cline, R-Rockbridge. In speaking with The News & Advance last week, Cline explained the thinking behind his decision to adopt a strict no-gifts policy: “The confidence of my constituents in their government and their elected officials is paramount. I don’t want there to be any doubt about where these types of things impact me or my decisions in any way.”
News & Advance
