A budget provision released Friday by Democrats in the House of Delegates would send Virginia back to the days when the public had to accept on faith that candidates’ campaign finance disclosures were complete and accurate. A nine-word sentence – “That § 24.2-948.5 of the Code of Virginia is repealed” – would strip the Virginia Department of Elections of its authority to audit campaign finance reports. … The law requires all candidates for governor, lieutenant governor and attorney general to turn over campaign financial records to the elections department. The review also includes a random sample of 10% of General Assembly candidates and 1% of candidates for local office. The law exempts candidates who raised less than $25,000.

The Richmonder’s education reporter, Victoria A. Ifatusin, filed a lawsuit on behalf of our readers and the general public in Richmond Circuit Court, requesting that key details in a Richmond Public Schools investigation into embezzlement by a senior employee be unredacted. We did not arrive at this decision lightly, but we believe it is an important action to take as part of our mission to shine a light on how taxpayer dollars are used. In April, RPS informed Ifatusin that employee Ronald “Bobby” Hathaway was no longer with the district, following an investigation into alleged improprieties. The Richmonder, along with several other local news outlets, requested the contents of that investigation under the Virginia Freedom of Information Act. As documented by CBS 6, the school district responded with a heavily redacted document that provided little insight into the details of the case. … RPS was also sued after refusing to release large portions of an investigation into a June 2023 shooting outside Huguenot High School’s graduation ceremony. In that case, a judge ordered that the document be released to the public with minimal redactions, a win for news organizations.

Six months after a deadly shooting by Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office deputies who were trying to arrest an attempted bank robbery suspect in the parking lot of the Leesburg Walmart, the investigation is still underway. … Records obtained by Loudoun Now via the Freedom of Information Act show that Virginia State Troopers who responded to the scene requested the State Police Bureau of Criminal Investigation, which later arrived at the scene. BCI investigates many officer-involved shootings. However, LCSO’s Internal Affairs unit handled the investigation and LCSO detectives handled the criminal side of it and told BCI they could leave, according to the records. VSP referred questions to LCSO, as did the FBI. The FBI’s Washington Field Office did not respond to an email asking whether FBI agents fired their weapons. … Three weeks after the shooting, LCSO media relations director Tom Julia told Loudoun Now that the deputies involved had been placed on leave while the investigation was conducted. … Since then, no more information has been released. LCSO and the FBI have repeatedly declined to provide updates and FOIA requests with LCSO, the FBI, and the State Police were all rejected on the grounds that criminal investigative files are exempt from the state’s Freedom of Information Act’s disclosure requirements.

The City of Fredericksburg has launched NextRequest, a new online program designed to enhance the submission and processing of Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests. The online form provides step-by-step guidance to help users submit complete requests and ensures they are routed to the appropriate department for timely review. By offering a centralized platform, NextRequest improves efficiency, supports better tracking of requests, and helps staff respond more effectively. While the City encourages use of the convenient online system, residents may continue to submit FOIA requests by email, mail, phone, or in person. The new program serves as an additional option intended to make the request process more accessible and user-friendly.

Health secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. on Wednesday pointed to his “publicly available calendar” as an example of his commitment to transparency and to beat back unfavorable reporting. But no such calendar, detailing who Kennedy meets with or how he spends his time, has been released by the administration. STAT has been asking the Department of Health and Human Services for Kennedy’s calendar for more than a year, via Freedom of Information Act requests and emails to the press office.

In April, David Morens, a senior adviser to Anthony Fauci, was indicted on charges of allegedly destroying government records tied to COVID-19 origins research. According to the indictment, he deleted official communications and used personal email to evade Freedom of Information Act requests — even describing how to make emails “disappear” before searches began. It is an extreme case. But it exposes a problem that should concern every member of Congress: FOIA operates, in practice, as an honor system. A transparency law that cannot verify whether agencies are accurately describing their searches does not just fail journalists and watchdogs. It weakens Congress’s ability to oversee the executive branch.

After refusing to release the cost of the investigation into the former Cherry Creek School District superintendent and his wife, the district’s former human resources chief, officials said they have spent more than $45,000. As of June 1, Kaplan and Earnest had invoiced the district $46,031.85 for the investigation, records show. The district hired the law firm to investigate district contracts and the travel records of former Superintendent Chris Smith and his wife, Brenda Smith. The investigation was capped at $250,000. Abbe Smith, a district spokesperson, has said that the district does not expect the cost to be “anywhere near” the threshold. Caitlin Holzfaster, the district’s records custodian, denied a May 15 Colorado Open Records Act (CORA) request by The Denver Gazette for the investigation’s invoices and billing records, arguing that descriptions could reveal attorney-client privileged information, legal advice or litigation strategy.