911 calls will be topic for House subcommittee this week
The House Public Service and Employees Subcommittee is scheduled to hear a proposal on Wednesday to make all “911 calls, transmissions, recordings of an emergency communications district and emergency...
View ArticleBill to punish “harassing” public records requesters delayed until first...
Proposed legislation that would allow a government entity in Tennessee to get an injunction to stop public records requesters whose requests constituted “harassment” has been delayed until next year....
View ArticleBill to make 911 calls confidential to be worked on over summer
Legislation to make 911 calls and transmissions confidential was delayed after the House sponsor said he wanted to work more on the bill over the summer. The bill, HB 335, Continue Reading Tennessee...
View ArticleSociology professor studying immigration files public records suit against...
A sociology professor who researches immigration enforcement has filed a public records lawsuit against the Knox County Sheriff, claiming the office has repeatedly violated the law in denying and...
View ArticleTennessee Tech Trustees say students IDs not sufficient for public records...
By Vanessa Curry, Instructor and Student Newspaper Adviser at Tennessee Tech The general rule of thumb in requesting anything from a governing board is to ask for the moon in Continue Reading Tennessee...
View ArticleHamilton County School Board, Tennessee Risk Management Trust miss point on...
The Hamilton County School Board’s attorney on Wednesday finally revealed to school board members the settlement payout amount of $750,000 to a student sexually assaulted during a basketball tournament...
View Article2019 Legislative Report: New exemptions to Public Records Act, and bills that...
Following is a list of new public records exemptions and other public record laws passed by the 111th General Assembly, plus some proposals that failed or were delayed until next Continue Reading...
View ArticleCourt of Appeals reins in state’s expansive use of investigative exemption
The Tennessee Court of Appeals in a ruling on Friday put much-needed limits around the so-called investigative exemption that has been used by the state to cloak otherwise public records. Continue...
View ArticleNew white paper: Can labor fees be charged when a requestor only wants to...
Tennessee Coalition for Open Government released a new white paper today analyzing how production fees were incorporated into the Tennessee Public Records Act. The new white paper examines opinions by...
View ArticleGov. Lee’s decision not to release agency recommendations raises questions...
In 2005, then-Gov. Phil Bredesen was planning a major scaleback to TennCare to, as he put it, “save” the program whose costs were rising exponentially. A sit-in was staged at Continue Reading Tennessee...
View ArticleBlueCross BlueShield, Cigna, Optum file reverse public records suits to stop...
Three large health care companies who contract with the state to administer the state’s employee health care plan have filed lawsuits to prevent the Department of Finance and Administration from...
View ArticlePublic records case against Knox County sheriff showcases thorny problems for...
A public records lawsuit filed in April against Knox County Sheriff Tom Spangler appears to be lurching slowly toward resolution. After two days of a bench trial on Dec. 9 Continue Reading Tennessee...
View ArticleWilliamson County mother files public records suit against Tennessee School...
A Williamson County mother, represented by the Beacon Center of Tennessee, has filed a public records lawsuit against the Tennessee School Boards Association after being denied access to the...
View ArticleHamilton County’s destruction of public records should set off fire alarms
Hamilton County government has found a new way to prevent access to public records: get rid of them. It’s not really new. It’s the oldest trick in the book. In Continue Reading Tennessee Coalition for...
View ArticleSettlement requires Memphis Shelby Crime Commission to produce records
The Memphis Shelby Crime Commission has released records about its funding of the Memphis Police Department a year after a public records lawsuit. Wendi Thomas, founder of MLK50: Justice Through...
View ArticleHarassment bill fails on 5-4 vote
A bill that would allow a government entity to petition a court for an injunction against someone who was using the public records process to harass government employees failed in Continue Reading...
View ArticleBill would require government entities to put meeting agendas online
State Rep. William Lamberth, R-Portland, and state Sen. Mike Bell, R-Riceville, are pushing a bill that would require government entities to post meeting agendas on their websites, as well as Continue...
View ArticleOther states outpace Tennessee in COVID-19 data provided to citizens
Several other states are releasing more information to its citizens than Tennessee about the rapidly spreading COVID-19 virus. For example, several states are releasing on their websites deaths by...
View ArticleMemphis ordered to pay attorney’s fees for violating public records law over...
The City of Memphis in March was ordered to pay $107,687 in attorney’s fees in a public records case in which it was found to willfully violate the law in Continue Reading Tennessee Coalition for Open...
View ArticleJudge rules against Knox County sheriff in public records case, puts...
In an important win for access to public records, Knox County Chancellor John Weaver found the Knox County Sheriff’s Office violated the public records law in its responses to a Continue Reading...
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