Consider this a public service announcement: Virginia Coalition for Open Government holds FOIA workshops in Roanoke! I have been reading documents related to government (particularly those subject to FOIA) for some time now. Without realizing it, I was staring at what might well be the biggest problem with such documents and true transparency. Quite...
VA government
Understanding the Freedom of Information Act: Take advantage of a great opportunity.
Sunshine Week began on March 13, 2011 and there are a lot of events occurring around the Country. The Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) is a key component in keeping Sunshine in government. For citizens, governments and the agencies subject to the FOIA, knowledge is the key. Understanding rights and responsibilities inherent with FOIA...
Keeping up with the Bills in Legislature is just the beginning.
I’ve recently discussed using the Richmond Sunlight website for bill tracking. This gives you a good idea of the bills proposed and what happens to them. They also have a blog that contains some good information that is accessed from the website link above as well. In particular check out: The Bills That Never...
Voting Rights for Felons: HJ497 and SJ306 in the General Assembly.
HJ497 Constitutional amendment: restoration of civil rights to persons convicted of felonies, etc. has been pronounced “Dead”. The significant change in text can be seen highlighted in yellow at Richmond Sunlight webpage, and states: “However, the General Assembly may provide by general law for the restoration of civil rights to persons who have been...
SB 949 (Senate Bill 949): Voting Absentee may become easier
SB 949: Elections; qualified voters may vote absentee in person without providing an excuse or reason.
HB 1935: Public notices no longer in newspapers?
There is a bill introduced by Del. Onzlee Ware that could have a significant impact on citizens here and in other areas of Virginia. It pertains to allowing Town, Cities, and Counties to use a posting on their webpage instead of a posted announcement in a local newspaper. I use the internet almost exclusively...
Can You Afford to Ignore What Your State Legislature is Doing?
It’s that time again. Things are happening in Richmond and those things are more visible than ever thanks to the internet and such sites as “Richmond Sunlight” (http://www.richmondsunlight.com). I previously wrote an article here “VA Bill Watch” where I discussed some of the features of this website and how to use them.
Hate and Fear should not be parts of our political system.
I believe that hate and fear are closely related. In fact, according to an article in the online version of Selfhelp magazine, Hate and Fear by Ruth Cherry, Ph.D., the author states “We hate what we fear. It’s more comfortable to feel hate than fear because it seems less vulnerable and we’ve learned that...
Similar Problems in Enforcing Conditional Use Permits and State/Federal Mandates
At the Christiansburg Town Council Meeting held on 1/4/2011, a question was asked about Conditional Use Permits and enforcement of those conditions. The answer yielded the fact that there are 430 active Conditional Use Permits (CUPs) in the Town of Christiansburg of that 430, only 310 (72%) of them have conditions attached to them....
FOIA and the Public Private Partnership
The Public Private Education Act Subcommittee of the Virginia Freedom of Information Advisory Council provided a July 2005 report giving government workers and elected officials a basic resource for understanding the public’s right to know about purchases, while also exemplifying why it is so very important to keep the Freedom of Information Advisory Council...
