Wisconsin Freedom of Information Council
A representative government is dependent on an informed electorate
A unanimous voice vote by the Wisconsin Senate on a piece of legislation is a rare occurrence. But that’s what happened on April 19, when state senators approved a bill to undo a decision by the Wisconsin Supreme Court regarding public records. Senate Bill 117, sponsored by Sen. Duey Stroebel (R-Saukville) and Rep. Todd Novak […]
Continue ReadingWisconsin’s open records law is most often used by requesters seeking to obtain records from a government agency. But occasionally it works in reverse, allowing someone to block the release of records to a requester. The Wisconsin Supreme Court has recently affirmed important limits on such efforts. Ironically, it was the court that created the […]
Continue ReadingFOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Bill Lueders (608) 669-4712 blueders@gmail.com March 10, 2022 Wisconsin Freedom of Information Council names ‘Opee’ winners A citizen concerned about plans to develop a city park, an alderperson who felt his colleagues broke the law and a district attorney who filed charges against a town for open records violations are among […]
Continue ReadingFor the sixteenth consecutive year, the Wisconsin Freedom of Information Council is presenting its Openness Awards, or Opees, to recognize outstanding efforts to protect the state’s tradition of open government, as well as some of the threats to it. The awards, part of the observance of national Sunshine Week (sunshineweek.org), March 13-19, are given in […]
Continue ReadingWisconsin statutes grant responsibility to the Attorney General to provide citizens with advice regarding the state’s open meetings and public records laws. The Wisconsin Department of Justice’s Office of Open Government maintains an extensive listing of the advisories and opinions it has issued regarding the state’s open records and open meetings laws. To see this […]
Continue ReadingEvery time an elected official sends an email, it becomes a public record. When an employee at a government agency makes a purchase, that transaction is the public’s business. Whenever a permit or license is issued by a government authority, this is information you should be able to obtain. These records, which include everything from […]
Continue ReadingPossible changes in law or policy to increase transparency, as identified by the Wisconsin Freedom of Information Council Updated February 2021 Recording of closed meetings Currently, there is no way to know whether public bodies are going into closed session for legitimate reasons. The Council favors a statutory requirement that closed meetings be recorded on […]
Continue ReadingOpen Records Law Listed below is the complete text of the Wisconsin Open Records Law, Wis. Stat. §§ 19.31-19.39, as of December 2020. Click here for a more detailed and annotated version of the statutes. Annotations are useful references to case law and opinions of the Attorney General that can help explain a passage. 19.31 […]
Continue ReadingOpen Meetings Law Listed below is the complete text of the Wisconsin Open Meetings Law, Wis. Stat. §§ 19.81-19.98, as of December 2020. Click here for a more detailed and annotated version of the statutes. Annotations are useful references to case law and opinions of the Attorney General that can help explain a passage. 19.81 […]
Continue ReadingThere were more heroes than villains in this year’s Openness Awards, or Opees, bestowed annually by the Wisconsin Freedom of Information Council. In fact, in two categories, there was more than one winner. Both a former state employee who rebuffed a committee’s efforts to embrace secrecy and an attorney who launched a law firm devoted […]
Continue ReadingThe Wisconsin Freedom of Information Council, a nonprofit group that works to protect access to public meetings and records, is now accepting nominations for its annual Openness in Government Awards, or Opees. Awards are given in six categories: Popee (political openness award): Recognizes extraordinary service to the cause of open government by an elected or […]
Continue ReadingDear Council members and supporters: I write to call your attention to two issues: The first is the filing of a lawsuit by the MacIver Institute against Gov. Tony Evers, alleging that he has selectively denied information and access for reporters from the MacIver News Service. The lawsuit is described in this press release; you […]
Continue ReadingAs part of Sunshine Week, an annual celebration of open government that runs from March 10-16, the Wisconsin Freedom of Information Council is bestowing its 13th annual Openness Awards, or Opees. This year’s honorees reflect the range of people fighting for transparency in Wisconsin, from a citizens group to a Wisconsin state senator, from the […]
Continue ReadingFOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Bill Lueders (608) 669-4712 March 6, 2019 Wisconsin Freedom of Information Council names ‘Opee’ winners Wisconsin’s largest newspaper and a small Madison paper produced mostly by teens are among the honorees of the 2019 Openness Awards, or Opees, bestowed annually by the Wisconsin Freedom of Information Council, along with awards to […]
Continue ReadingThe more we know about the efforts by officials in Racine to shield public records from public view, the more outrageous it seems. In late January, the office of Racine City Attorney Scott Letteney disclosed a summary of records it has fought tooth and nail to keep secret. It showed these to be ordinary email […]
Continue ReadingThe Wisconsin Freedom of Information Council, a nonprofit group that works to protect access to public meetings and records, is now accepting nominations for its annual Openness in Government Awards, or Opees. Awards are given in six categories: Popee (political openness award): Recognizes extraordinary service to the cause of open government by an elected or […]
Continue ReadingSecrecy in government, compounded by court-ordered secrecy, gives rise to speculation and rumor. That never serves the public interest. A case involving Racine City Attorney Scott Letteney and Racine Alderperson Sandy Weidner illustrates that very well. Last August, the city attorney sought an ethics violation sanction against the alderperson for sharing allegedly confidential communications from […]
Continue ReadingWisconsin Freedom of Information Council Oct. 30, 2018 minutes Assembly Parlor, State Capitol 1) Call to order and introductions: The meeting came to order at 1:30 p.m. In attendance were Bill Lueders, Dee Hall, Christa Westerberg, Steve Lovejoy, Sam Martino, Larry Gallup, Matthew DeFour, John Foust, Orville Seymer, Tom Kamenick, Kyle Geissler, Tom Bier, Dave […]
Continue ReadingFOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: OCT. 18, 2018 Wisconsin Freedom of Information Council releases 2018 candidate survey results Contact: Bill Lueders, president, Wisconsin Freedom of Information Council, blueders@gmail.com, 608-669-4712 Dear Editors: The Wisconsin Freedom of Information Council is pleased to make available the results of its survey of Wisconsin legislative candidates in the Nov. 6 election. We surveyed 204 candidates: […]
Continue ReadingSearch the 2018 Survey Results We surveyed all candidates for State legislative offices with the following questions: Ending the legislature’s exemption for open records retention: Do you support ending the exemption in the state’s records retention law for members of the Legislature, which would make lawmakers subject to the same retention rules as all other […]
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