March: Opees awards highlight good and bad

For 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 […]

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Attorney General Opinions and Letters

Wisconsin 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 […]

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Text of open records law

Open 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 […]

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Text of open meetings law

Open 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 […]

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Nominations Sought For 2020 Opee Awards

The 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 […]

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March: Opees honor good acts and bad

As 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 […]

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November: Racine case shows folly of official secrecy

Secrecy 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 […]

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Oct. 30, 2018

Wisconsin 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 […]

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Wisconsin Freedom of Information Council releases 2018 candidate survey results

FOR 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: […]

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