Wisconsin Freedom of Information Council
A representative government is dependent on an informed electorate
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE February 23, 2016 Contact: Mark Pitsch, (608) 252-6145; Bill Lueders, (608) 669-4712 Advocates of open government in Wisconsin are planning a three-day, eight-city informational tour to highlight the importance of the state’s open records laws, in the wake of unprecedented attacks from state lawmakers and others. “An open society depends on open […]
Continue ReadingThe Wisconsin Freedom of Information Council is issuing an Action Alert on AB-460, a bill whose main purpose is to raise the compensation level for state victims of wrongful imprisonment. The bill unanimously passed the state Assembly on Tuesday. Our concern is with how the bill would affect public access to case recordsmuch more significantly […]
Continue ReadingDear Council members and supporters: Matthew Blessing, the chair of the state Public Records Board, has just released to me the attached statement, in response to the verified complaint filed by the Council early this week. The statement says the Board intends to revisit the agenda items from its Aug. 24 meeting that were the […]
Continue ReadingThe Wisconsin Freedom of Information Council is issuing an Action Alert on proposed legislation to end the requirement that donors to political candidates or committees identify their principal employer. The proposal was introduced Oct. 15 by Assembly Speaker Robin Vos as an amendment to AB387, a bill to rewrite state campaign finance laws, and promptly […]
Continue ReadingThe Wisconsin Freedom of Information Council is issuing an emergency action alert in response to the Joint Finance Committee’s shocking assault on the state’s long and proud tradition of open government. This cowardly action, passed by the Committee on July 2 just hours after its introduction, is part of an omnibus motion stuck into the state […]
Continue ReadingThe Wisconsin Freedom of Information Council is deeply opposed to a change to Wisconsin’s open records law that was inserted into the budget late last week by the Joint Finance Committee. It passed on a party-line vote of 12-4, with Republicans in the majority. The change, part of Omnibus Motion #521, Item 14, P. 3, would […]
Continue ReadingThe Wisconsin Freedom of Information Council is issuing an action alert regarding Gov. Scott Walker’s proposal to exempt records of University of Wisconsin research from the state’s Open Records Law. The governor’s budget bill, SB21, on P. 181-182, would create this new section of the statute: 19.36 (14) UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN SYSTEM AUTHORITY. Any authority may withhold […]
Continue ReadingMilwaukee Journal Sentinel investigative reporter Dave Umhoefer, winner of a Pulitzer Prize for his 2008 investigation into pension padding in Milwaukee County, has been named the 2014 recipient of the Distinguished Wisconsin Watchdog Award. The award is a highlight of the fourth annual Wisconsin Watchdog Awards reception and dinner, presented jointly by the Wisconsin Center […]
Continue ReadingSB 526, the bill that would purge the state’s online records system of information about criminal cases that do not lead to convictions, or are overturned on appeal, passed a Senate committee yesterday on a 5-0 vote. The bill is now available for a full Senate vote. This is the most serious attempt to date […]
Continue ReadingNominations are being sought for the 2014 Distinguished Wisconsin Watchdog Award, presented annually to recognize an individual’s extraordinary contributions to open government or investigative journalism in Wisconsin. Dave Zweifel, editor emeritus of The Capital Times and a founder of the Wisconsin Freedom of Information Council, was named the inaugural winner in 2011. The late Dick […]
Continue ReadingA statement by the Wisconsin Freedom of Information Council regarding new claims that state lawmakers are effectively immune from the state’s Open Records Law. Statement on claims of legislative immunity to state Open Records Law September 13, 2013 The Wisconsin Freedom of Information Council is shocked and saddened that a member of the state Legislature is, […]
Continue ReadingFrom WLUK Fox 11 in Green Bay, a report on the trend of redacting information on police reports.
Continue ReadingA statement by the Wisconsin Freedom of Information Council: As a rule, emails created by public officials that discuss government business and policies are the public’s property and should be available to the public. But hundreds, and possibly thousands, of emails created in secret by some of former Milwaukee County Executive Scott Walker’s office staff […]
Continue ReadingAs we were expecting, a bill to allow custodians to impose a new fee for the time they spend reviewing and redacting records has been introduced in the current legislative session. It is AB 26. The text is here. This bill has been scheduled for a hearing next Wednesday, Feb. 27, in Room 225 of […]
Continue ReadingU.S. District Judge Lynn Adelman, the chief author of Wisconsin’s Open Records Law and a strong advocate of the Open Meetings Law, has been named the 2013 recipient of the Distinguished Wisconsin Watchdog Award. The award is a highlight of the third annual Wisconsin Watchdog Awards reception and dinner, presented jointly on Wednesday, April 24, […]
Continue ReadingFrom the Chippewa Herald, an editorial on the proposed bill to allow records custodians to charge for the cost of reviewing and redacting records.
Continue ReadingThe Wisconsin Freedom of Information Council, a nonprofit group that works to protect public access to meetings and records, is inviting nominations for its 2012-13 Opee awards, recognizing achievements high and low. The awards can recognize actions from February 2012 through to the present day. The awards will be announced in March as part of the […]
Continue ReadingFrom the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, a story of how five Republican legislators settled an open records lawsuit by two liberal groups by agreeing to turn over emails from their personal accounts to and from a conservative organization that works with corporations to draft legislation.
Continue ReadingIn the La Crosse Tribune, Betsy Bloom examines the open records implications of cellular texts and tweets among public officials.
Continue ReadingFrom the Minneapolis Star Tribune, the story of a Court of Appeals decision that all government contractors are subject to Minnesota’s open records laws. “Under the law, private residents or businesses contracting with the government must comply with the Data Practices Act “as if it were a government entity.” “
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