KTVA: New database lists all Alaskans known missing since 1960. “The Alaska Department of Public Safety has completed a project to list online everyone known to be missing in Alaska from 1960 to Dec. 1, 2019. There are 1,240 names.”
state government
Ars Technica: Justices debate allowing state law to be “hidden behind a pay wall”
Ars Technica: Justices debate allowing state law to be “hidden behind a pay wall”. “The courts have long held that laws can’t be copyrighted. But if the state mixes the text of the law together with supporting information, things get trickier. In Monday oral arguments, the US Supreme Court wrestled with the copyright status of Georgia’s official legal code, which includes annotations written by LexisNexis.”
Chicago Tribune: Gov. J.B. Pritzker signs law requiring additional disclosure from lobbyists
Chicago Tribune: Gov. J.B. Pritzker signs law requiring additional disclosure from lobbyists. “When the General Assembly approved the measure last month, lawmakers on both sides of the aisle described it as a small step toward fixing state government ethics laws amid an ongoing federal corruption probe that has ensnared Democratic politicians from Chicago City Hall to the Capitol in Springfield. The law, effective immediately, also requires the secretary of state to create a combined online database for information on lobbyists, campaign contributions and public officials’ annual statements of economic interest.”
Advance Local: Grant to help former inmates find employment
Advance Local: Grant to help former inmates find employment. “Gov. Kay Ivey today announced a $99,546 grant to create a database of employers open to hiring inmates who have been released from prison. The database will be facilitated through J.F. Ingram State Technical College and will show inmates who have successfully completed vocational training there.”
Houston Chronicle: Arizona officials working to fix campaign finance website
Houston Chronicle: Arizona officials working to fix campaign finance website. “As the election year approaches, Arizona officials continue working to overcome glitches in the state-run campaign finance website, officials said. The website called ‘See The Money’ and its campaign-finance database have not worked properly since the 2018 election, The Arizona Capitol Times reported.”
State of Hawaii: State Unveils New Online Tool to Assess Potential of Contaminated Sites for Renewable Energy Development
State of Hawaii: State Unveils New Online Tool to Assess Potential of Contaminated Sites for Renewable Energy Development. “The State of Hawaii has launched a new online mapping tool as part of its Hawaii Brightfields Initiative that will make it easier for land owners, developers, community members, and policymakers to assess the renewable energy potential of contaminated sites and other previously developed parcels statewide in support of Hawaii’s clean energy future.”
Statehouse News Bureau: Ohio Auditor Creates Public Records Rating System For Local Governments
Statehouse News Bureau: Ohio Auditor Creates Public Records Rating System For Local Governments. “The official elected as the state’s accountability watchdog is creating a new program to encourage better open records policies among local governments, measuring best practices for following what are known as Sunshine Laws.”
