Open records tips from a government accountability reporter: ‘Let the correspondence tell the tale’ (National Press Club Journalism Institute)

National Press Club Journalism Institute: Open records tips from a government accountability reporter: ‘Let the correspondence tell the tale’ . “It is Sunshine Week, an annual celebration of access to public information launched by the News Leaders Association in 2005. To commemorate the occasion, we’ve asked journalists across different beats to share their tips for requesting open records and responding when facing roadblocks to access.”

Opinion: Casting shade on Virginia’s ‘Sunshine Law’ (Richmond Times-Dispatch)

Richmond Times-Dispatch: Opinion: Casting shade on Virginia’s ‘Sunshine Law’. “What was once the domain of overreaching politicians and campaign-season hyperbole, the idea that U.S. democracy is under attack means something different in 2023. Meanwhile, perhaps our best tool for combating propaganda and misinformation — the Freedom of Information Act — continues to get treated in the Virginia General Assembly like a bureaucratic nuisance.”

Federal News Network: FOIA backlogs on the rise after record number of requests

Federal News Network: FOIA backlogs on the rise after record number of requests . “Freedom of Information Act backlogs soared at some key agencies after the public filed a record number of FOIA requests in fiscal 2022. Agencies received 928,353 requests last year and processed 878,420 requests, both record highs, according to the Justice Department’s Office of Information Policy. Agencies were required to upload their fiscal 2022 annual FOIA reports by March 1.”

FedScoop: National Archives allocates $600,000 to transfer digitized veterans’ records from the VA

FedScoop: National Archives allocates $600,000 to transfer digitized veterans’ records from the VA. “The National Archives and Records Administration has allocated $600,000 to transfer digitized veterans’ records from the Department of Veterans Affairs as it continues to work through a backlog of document requests, according to details set out in a strategic plan.”

The Conversation: How Records of Life’s Milestones Help Solve Cold Cases, Pinpoint Health Risks and Allocate Public Resources

The Conversation: How Records of Life’s Milestones Help Solve Cold Cases, Pinpoint Health Risks and Allocate Public Resources. “As a family demographer, I use information from these vital records to understand how childbirth, marriage and divorce are changing in the United States over time. The scope and quality of these records reflect remarkable administrative coordination from the local to the national level, but examples from other countries illustrate how much more the records could yet tell us.”

KERA: Getting public records is getting harder in Texas. Collin County is no exception

KERA: Getting public records is getting harder in Texas. Collin County is no exception. “After reports that Collin County Constable Joe Wright’s name had appeared on a membership list for an antigovernment extremist group, KERA government accountability reporter Caroline Love wanted to find out more about him. She obtained records from the Collin County Sheriff’s Office — where Wright had once worked — only after a lengthy open records battle. We asked her to find out if her experiences are symptomatic of a bigger problem.”

USCIS (again) proposes enormous fee hikes: Public comment deadline is March 6 (California Genealogical Society)

California Genealogical Society: USCIS (again) proposes enormous fee hikes: Public comment deadline is March 6. “The U.S. Citizenship & Immigration Services (USCIS) has once again proposed substantial increases to the fees required to access historical records held by the USCIS Genealogy Program. This would raise the cost for access to millions of historic immigration records by hundreds of dollars, providing further barriers to researchers.”

Iowa Capital Dispatch: Iowa counties’ records inaccessible in wake of suspected cyberattack

Iowa Capital Dispatch: Iowa counties’ records inaccessible in wake of suspected cyberattack. “Iowa’s county recorders maintain land records, issue marriage licenses and register births and deaths. They also issue titles and liens on boats, snowmobiles and ATVs. The biggest immediate effect of the apparent hack is that the public, as well as the recorders themselves, can’t currently access real estate records.”

NOLA: Document storage company withholding ‘hundreds of boxes’ of city records amid financial dispute

NOLA: Document storage company withholding ‘hundreds of boxes’ of city records amid financial dispute. “Document storage company Iron Mountain is withholding hundreds of boxes of files it is storing for the city of New Orleans because of an ongoing financial dispute with Mayor LaToya Cantrell’s administration, a City Hall spokesman confirms.”

Richmond Times-Dispatch: Richmond sheriff puts $1,385 price tag on Times-Dispatch request for routine payroll records

Richmond Times-Dispatch: Richmond sheriff puts $1,385 price tag on Times-Dispatch request for routine payroll records. “In response to a Richmond Times-Dispatch request for payroll records about who the jail employs and how much they earn, Sheriff Antionette Irving’s records officer quoted a price of $1,385. Payroll records are explicitly not protected from FOIA under the Virginia Administrative Code. When they receive requests from the public, agency records officers estimate prices based on how many hours employees will need to produce the records. Sheriffs sign off on those labor estimates.”

KXAN: Texas Vet Board still struggling to fix database problems, legislative review finds

KXAN: Texas Vet Board still struggling to fix database problems, legislative review finds. “Months after a KXAN investigation into problems at the Texas Board of Veterinary Medical Examiners, a new legislative report reveals the agency is still struggling to manage its data on animal doctors in the state. The report found TBVME failed to implement previous recommendations by the Sunset Advisory Commission — a group of lawmakers and members of the public that evaluates the function and performance of state agencies. Sunset has reviewed this agency three times over the last six years.”

Politico: Federal court records users could see $100 million in refunds

Politico: Federal court records users could see $100 million in refunds. “The deal unveiled Tuesday calls for users who paid for federal court records between 2010 and 2018 to get up to $350 apiece, followed by additional payments if funds remain. The settlement is expected to be paid out of a Justice Department fund that covers such expenses in connection with suits against the U.S. Government.”

Scribbled notes, classified materials and golf carts: Here’s how the millions of White House documents and artifacts should be archived (USA Today)

USA Today: Scribbled notes, classified materials and golf carts: Here’s how the millions of White House documents and artifacts should be archived. “Until the Watergate scandal during the Nixon administration, former presidents owned their records, although some worked with the National Archives to create presidential libraries. But when Richard Nixon, after resigning, wanted to destroy the White House tapes that incriminated him in the cover-up of the Watergate complex burglary, Congress passed a law giving control over presidential records to the National Archives at the end of an administration.”