Recent State FOI Audits

From the Winter 2004 issue of The News Media & The Law, page 35.

Alabama: March 2003. Sought records from local schools and universities, and city councils and county commissions; 44 percent of school superintendents or their employees denied access to latest superintendent evaluation, while 11 percent of cities would not disclose city council minutes.

Maryland: August 2003. Sought records from various public agencies, including the Maryland Motor Vehicle Administration and Maryland Occupational Safety and Health. MVA and MOSH denied two out of three requests.

Montana: Spring 2003. Surveyed police, school, city council and municipal record-keepers; more than one-third of requests to police were denied.

Texas: November 2003. Surveyed city halls, school districts and police stations in Hidalgo, Starr, Cameron and Willacy counties; one denial resulted in the suspension and ultimate resignation of Keller Independent School District Superintendent Charles Bradberry.

Wisconsin: October 2003. Surveyed four county governments and made 20 requests in various areas of government for information about the 10 highest-paid employees; some responded within a week, others took about a month.