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Possible 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 […]

Search 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 […]

As identified by the Wisconsin Freedom of Information Council 1. Long waits. The Open Records Law states that requested records must be provided “as soon as practicable and without delay.” It adds that providing access to information “is declared to be … an integral part of the routine duties of [public] officers and employees.” But […]

Transparency in government is vital to a healthy democracy. Wisconsin has a long tradition of openness with regard to public meetings and records, including what may be the nation’s first state records law, enacted in 1849. What follows is a list of resources for citizens and government officials regarding open government in Wisconsin. The full […]

These resources are provided by the Attorney General’s office.   Public Records Law Compliance Guide, October 2019 – The latest open records guide from the Attorney General’s office. Open Meetings Law Compliance Guide, May 2019 – The latest open meetings guide from the Attorney General’s office.   In 2014, their office produced these videos. Open Meetings Law webinar Open […]

Resources Compliance Outline: Wisconsin Open Records Law Compliance Guide: Wisconsin Open Meetings Law UW Extension guides to open government Wisconsin Attorney General Opinions Woznicki fix legislation summary Federation of American Scientists Project on Government Secrecy News Media for Open Government The Open Records Blues Wisconsin Photographers Bill of Rights FOIC 2008 Public Records Audit: Full […]

Here are some important resources from the Freedom of the Information Council: Open Government Resources tutorial: A summary of links to key information. F.A.Q’s.: Frequently Asked Questions about the Open Meetings and Public Records Laws, compiled by the Madison law office of LaFollette Godfrey & Kahn. Open Government Problem Areas: A changing list of problems […]

Here’s a video that explains the process with this sample letter. Below is the sample letter than you can copy and paste into a word processor. Sample Open Records Request Letter _________________________________________________________________________________ RECIPIENT NAME AGENCY ADDRESS CITY, STATE ZIP DATE Dear MX. XXXXX, This letter is to request the following records, under the state’s Open […]