Transparency News 5/5/16

State and Local Stories

Virginia's Freedom of Information Advisory Council will formally recommend changes to the state's open records and meetings laws as soon as next month. Among the changes waiting for an up-or-down vote from the council are tweaks that could potentially narrow one of the law's broadest exemptions, which currently lets state and local officials keep a wide and ill-defined swath of documents from public view. The changes wouldn't go as far as many press and open government advocates have called for, and critics say the council's ongoing Freedom of Information Act review has repeatedly missed opportunities to improve public access. Attorneys for local governments, though, said Wednesday that they believe the pending recommendations would be improvements to the state's Freedom of Information Act, though not major policy shifts.
Daily Press

Seven months after they fatally shot a city man, Harrisonburg police released body camera footage of the incident to the media on Wednesday. Officers responding to a disturbance killed Michael Pierce Jr., 23, in September in the Park View area of the city after he opened fire on them, according to the Harrisonburg Police Department. Commonwealth’s Attorney Marsha Garst ruled the shooting justified in October, but HPD refused to release footage until this week. In addition to the video, police released 911 calls and police radio traffic of the shooting. The father of a man shot and killed by Harrisonburg police in September is satisfied officers did everything they could, after he saw body camera footage of the incident. Waiting seven months to show the family and the public that the shooting was justified was too long, the statement says, and they hope HPD learned from the incident.
Daily News Record

An employee survey obtained by The Pilot through the Freedom of Information Act sheds light on the work environment at Landstown High School as questions continue to swirl about the status of Principal Brian Matney, who was put on leave last month without public explanation.
Virginian-Pilot

Shenandoah County school officials and the Sheriff’s Office have agreed on the details for showing a videotape of Strasburg High School students committing acts on a school bus that led to the filing of criminal charges against them. Superintendent Jeremy Raley and Sheriff Timothy C. Carter met Wednesday and agreed on 8 a.m. May 16 as the time and date for the School Board to meet and view the video in closed session as part of a student disciplinary hearing. After the hearing, the board is scheduled to meet in open session to consider actions pertaining to the disciplinary proceedings.
Northern Virginia Daily



National Stories
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After recent controversy, the US Congress has asked for Freedom of Information Act exemptions for organizations promoting agricultural products, including groups behind promotional campaigns such as “Pork, the other white meat.” Although the US Department of Agriculture oversees advertising campaigns for different agricultural industries, which range from the meat and egg industry to Christmas tree organizations, the industries themselves pay for promotional campaigns. After a controversy involving the American Egg Board last year, which arose when it was revealed through public records requests that the group had attempted to prevent eggless mayonaise sales at Whole Foods, several agricultural industries called for exemptions from the Freedom of Information Act. After the Whole Foods scandal, the head of the American Egg Board stepped down, and the USDA launched an investigation. Yet, the American Egg Board, which is legally barred from lobbying, claims it had nothing to do with the FOIA exemption request.
Christian Science Monitor