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Arkansas Republican Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders signs a new law in September that shields records concerning the security of the governor and other elected leaders. Critics said it went too far by cutting off access to documents such as receipts and reimbursements that would not risk personal safety. John Sykes/Arkansas Advocate

Worries over secrecy grow as state officials shield records from the public

BY: - November 21, 2023

Just weeks after lawmakers in Little Rock passed legislation shielding certain state records from public disclosure, opponents launched an effort to amend the Arkansas Constitution to protect access to government documents. “The coalition that’s coming together on this is about as broadly bipartisan as you could get — from the extreme, extreme right to the […]

Ohio House won’t release texts between House Rep and indicted ex-Speaker

BY: - March 2, 2022

Lawyers with the Ohio House of Representatives denied a public records requests for text messages between a sitting lawmaker and the former House Speaker, who was expelled by his peers while under a racketeering indictment related to alleged public corruption. State Rep. Jay Edwards, R-Nelsonville, and Larry Householder regularly exchange text messages and talk on […]

After lawsuit, health department releases COVID-19 faulty test kit emails

BY: - September 28, 2020

After the Ohio Capital Journal filed a public records lawsuit, the state health department released several hundred pages of correspondence with the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. OCJ requested the correspondence on March 27, after then-Ohio Department of Health Director Amy Acton informed the public that a coronavirus test kit the CDC supplied […]