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Open data's promise
IN EARLY December, President Obama announced a series of measures aimed at closing the gap between citizens and law enforcement. One of those measures was a plan to distribute $263 million in funding...
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If a vote isn't recorded, does it make a sound?
The following was written by Zhina Kamali, VCOG's first Chip Woodrum Legislative Internship and was published in The Roanoke Times on Feb. 16, 2015. By Zhina KamaliEach day I am at the General Assembly...
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Rules v. spirt (not to mention fairness)
Last week, the Roanoke Times published a short opinion piece by VCOG's Chip Woodrum Legislative Intern, Zhina Kamali. It's republished here on our website.Kamali wrote about her first encounter in a...
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The working papers exemption is a big ol' mess
There’s a bill on offer in the Michigan legislature. As proposed by a Democratic representative from Grand Rapids, the bill would make the state’s Freedom of Information Act applicable to both the...
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Report's recommendations are universal
There is a pretty remarkable open government story coming out of Memphis this week. It concerns a report commissioned by the city’s mayor to review the city’s public records system.The Plough...
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That $19,000+ estimate
If you've read VCOG's daily newsletter or VPAP's VaNews for the day (or the original sources) you've seen stories about how the Office of Attorney General said it would cost more than $19,000 to fill a...
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Another AG FOIA response
If you saw my post regarding the AG's $19,000+ estimate to fill a FOIA request, you'll be interested in this response from the AG's office, too.The estimate in this response is for $40,000 and it...
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Plenty to say about this public comment policy
In Portsmouth they're up in arms because the city council there voted unanimously to cut public comment speaking times from five minutes per speaker down to three minutes.The problem isn't so much with...
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There's no confusion: this is a choice
Let’s clear up this so-called confusion about whether the personnel exemption (or any other exemption) is mandatory. This “problem” arises in the context of the ABC refusing to release the results of...
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We don't need no stinkin' government email accounts
So here's a response given by the Port Authority spokesman when asked for email sent/received by a authority board member during a one-month period:Mr. xxxx:We have completed the search of our email...
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FOIA losing in all three branches
An abbreviated version of this piece appeared in the Richmond Times-Dispatch on Sept. 22, the Tidewater News on Sept. 23, the Free Lance-Star on Sept. 27 and The Roanoke Times on Sept. 27. This has...
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VCOG's annual open government award winners
The Virginia Coalition for Open Government is pleased to announce the winners of its 2015 open government awards. The three winners represent the public, government and media, and all have worked on...
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Of salary & critical infrastructure
UPDATE: All three bills noted below were approved Feb. 8 by the committee. In the process, SB 552, which started off dealing just with law enforcement, has now been changed to prohibit the release of...
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Meeting meeting myths head-on
A slightly edited version of this column originally ran in The Roanoke Times, Sunday, March 13, n2016 Rhyne: Meeting meeting myths head-on By Megan RhyneRhyne is executive director of the Virginia...
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FOIA shouldn't be us vs. them
This article originally appeared in the Richmond Times-Dispatch, Friday, March 18, 2016 Rhyne: FOIA requests shouldn't pit government against the public Here’s a two-question test for you:Question 1:...
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Rhyne a guest on This Week in Richmond
VCOG's executive director, Megan Rhyne, was a guest on the June 10, 2016, edition of This Week in Richmond, hosted by David Bailey.
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VCOG submits joint letter on WMATA oversight commission
VCOG has submitted a letter -- co-signed with the DC Open Government Coalition and the Maryland-Deleware-DC Press Association -- urging lawmakers in each jurisdiction to include specific transparency...
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Carrying the torch of open government into our 3rd decade
This commentary originally appeared in The Roanoke Times, September 18, 2016 Megan Rhyne | Rhyne is executive director of the Virginia Coalition For Open Government and can be reached at 540-353-8264...
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A FOIA story
I don’t usually repost full copies of news stories, but this one is especially noteworthy as a snapshot of how FOIA transactions can unspool. This is a reporter trying to get a state agency report, but...
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2016 open government award winners
The Virginia Coalition for Open Government is pleased to announce the winners of its 2016 open government awards. The awards are given to individuals or organizations who have made use of public...
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