A recent ruling by the Eighth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals has led some to question whether Arkansans still have the First Amendment right to record in public. The answer to that question is: yes, despite what Max Brantley says. Brantley claims that the ruling means “residents of Arkansas and the rest of the circuit lack the First Amendment right to report (record) on … [Read more...]
Anti-Transparency Bill Fails In Senate
Yesterday was bad news for state bureaucrats wanting to hide public information from Arkansans. Legislation that guts the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) failed badly in the Senate by a margin of 11 to 14, with 10 not voting. This bill would create a huge new exemption in the state’s Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) for attorney-client communications and work … [Read more...]
House Passes Legislation Gutting FOIA
The Arkansas House celebrated the end of Sunshine Week by passing a gigantic exemption to the state’s Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) late Monday afternoon. Senate Bill 373 by state Sen. Bart Hester and state Rep. Bob Ballinger would create a new FOIA exemption for “attorney-client communications and work product strictly related to pending or threatened … [Read more...]
A Response to Joann Maxey
I read Joann Maxey's opinion piece in Sunday’s Democrat-Gazette. It is a shame that the General Counsel to the University of Arkansas, who receives a $190,000 taxpayer-funded annual salary, has made several untrue statements in order to support an awful bill, SB373. SB373 would gut the Freedom of Information Act by creating a huge new attorney-client communication and … [Read more...]
Legislators Kill One Anti-FOIA Bill, But Promote Another
Earlier this month, we outlined why you should oppose House Bill 1622 if you are a supporter of open government in Arkansas. House Bill 1622, by State Rep. Bob Johnson, would amend the state Freedom Of Information Act (FOIA) to give government entities the option of choosing their own deadline for responding to some FOIA requests. Currently, government officials responding … [Read more...]
