Transparency News 5/9/19

 

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Thursday
May 9, 2019

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state & local news stories

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"FOIA documents show there were several occasions where keeping information from the media and public was discussed."

The Freedom of Information Act Advisory Council will study a bill that would require universities to share the terms and conditions of donations from private entities. Del. David Bulova, D-Fairfax, introduced House Bill 2386 to create firm rules on when donors to public colleges and universities can be anonymous; what donor information isn’t subject to the FOIA law and requiring universities (not their fundraising foundations) to keep a document of any terms and conditions attached to donations, which would then make it subject to FOIA. “Once I threw that bill in, I was approached by a number of Virginia’s universities, not surprisingly, who all talked about or provided me information about their gift agreement policies,” Bulova said. “At least in principle, they agreed with what I was trying to accomplish, their concern was they wanted to make sure the language was right so as not to scare off potential donors.”
Virginia Mercury

Conflict is simmering between two of Virginia’s more obscure yet influential political actors — the administrators of the state court system and the elected Circuit Court Clerks who keep legal records of lawsuits, land deals, financial claims and handle the probate matters that in most other states are the province of judges. The issue: how to handle electronic case records for civil lawsuits. Conflict is simmering between two of Virginia’s more obscure yet influential political actors — the administrators of the state court system and the elected Circuit Court Clerks who keep legal records of lawsuits, land deals, financial claims and handle the probate matters that in most other states are the province of judges. The issue: how to handle electronic case records for civil lawsuits. The dispute comes as records of OES budgeting and actual spending on projects — a comparison that a blistering recent state audit on the agency’s management of its assets suggested would be useful to adopt — suggests spending on IT work is on the rise this year. The records, requested under the Freedom of Information Act but supplied by the OES with the caveat that FOIA does not apply to it.
Daily Press

Earlier this month, we reported on Seawright Springs in Augusta County and the concerns neighbors had about the plans to draw water from the springs. The neighbors requested information from the county through the Freedom of Information Act, and they shared that information with us. Neighbors still don't believe their concerns about the project have been addressed. "No one in our group is opposed to economic development. Let's be clear about that," Shaun Mooney, who lives near the springs, said. "Our group is opposed to a project that we believe is not the right fit for our area." FOIA documents show there were several occasions where keeping information from the media and public was discussed. For instance, one email reads if "newspaper reports and interest in the project gain momentum without final governor approval, the discretionary incentives will be forfeited."
WHSV

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stories of national interest

D.C. lawmakers are considering a proposal that could dramatically curtail access to public records, exempting from disclosure correspondence sent with government email in which public employees discuss matters not related to their official duties. The legislation, proposed by D.C. Council Chairman Phil Mendelson (D), would also allow city agencies to reject records requests that don’t include specific details about the documents being sought — including their subject matter, names of the sender and recipient, and a date range. Mendelson said he was introducing the changes at the request of the council’s lawyer to reduce the amount of time that city officials are spending responding to requests under the District’s Freedom of Information Act. “FOIA wasn’t intended for fishing expeditions,” Mendelson said. “Government is having to devote increasing resources to dealing with very broad and unspecific FOIA requests, some of which have no relation to official business. And that was not the intent of FOIA.”
The Washington Post

Nearly four years after Sandra Bland was found dead in a Texas jail cell, a newly uncovered cellphone video offers a new perspective into the controversial arrest and has led her family to call for a new investigation. The footage shows former state Trooper Brian Encinia knew she was holding a cell phone -- not a weapon -- and she was recording him during part of the confrontation, in which he threatened her with a Taser and yelled, "I'll light you up." For years, the only footage that was believed to exist was from a cruiser's dash cam. The 39-second cell phone video was obtained by ABC-affiliate WFAA and the Investigative Network, though state officials said the video was available all these years upon request. When journalists from the investigative team showed the video to Bland's family, they said they were not aware it even existed. Bland's sister Shante Needham said authorities should reopen the investigation.
Governing

 

 

 

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editorials & columns

 

In light of that, we were disappointed to read that state legislators have denied the Virginia State Police the ability to deploy 359 body-worn cameras. According to an RTD news story by Mark Bowes, the state police plan hit a snag thanks to language in the General Assembly’s final budget restricting any state agency from using funds “to purchase or activate body cameras until further notice.” Lawmakers halted the use of body cameras because the costs involved in reviewing, redacting and storing video already have overwhelmed commonwealth’s attorneys offices around the state. Adding additional body camera video from state troopers to that of local law enforcement will only increase the work load for those offices. Body cameras save lives. We urge the state to end the moratorium, even if it means hiring additional personnel to review the footage.
Richmond Times-Dispatch

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