A representative government is dependent on an informed electorate
For immediate release Contact: Bill Lueders, (608) 669-4712 The Wisconsin Freedom of Information Council is deeply concerned about the arrests of citizens for filming the Wisconsin Legislature, a right expressly afforded by the state’s Open Meetings Law. “These arrests appear to violate the spirit and the letter of the Open Meetings Law which, ironically enough, […]
Continue ReadingOn Sept. 19, Clinton Fillinger was arrested while doing his job — perhaps because he was doing it. The 68-year-old veteran photojournalist, employed by Milwaukee’s WITI Fox6, was filming a house fire from behind yellow police tape. A Milwaukee police sergeant approached and ordered Fillinger to move back, “all the way back.” Fillinger’s video […]
Continue ReadingRep. John Nygren, R-Marinette, is an insurance agent who sponsored an auto insurance bill in January, one of the first bills to pass the new Legislature. His opponents pegged him as the insurance industry’s best friend; Nygren said he was following the will of the people, many of whom had told him their auto insurance […]
Continue ReadingWisconsin Freedom of Information Council Minutes of Oct. 14, 2010 meeting Capital Newspapers auditorium 1) Call to order and introductions. Meeting was called to order at 1:30 p.m. Present were Dee Hall, Anita Weier, Bob Dreps, Perry Boxx, Tom Bier, Dave Zweifel, Doug Wojcik, Roger Schneider, John Dye, Beth Bennett, Gina Duwe, Bob Drechsel, Erica […]
Continue ReadingWisconsin Freedom of Information Council Minutes of the Jan. 20, 2011 meeting Capital Newspapers auditorium 1) Meeting was called to order at 1:31 p.m. – Present were Dee Hall, Chris Hardie, Beth Bennett, Michelle Vetterkind, Gina Duwe, Bob Drechsel, Anita Weier, Michael Buelow, George Stanley, Roger Schneider, Dave Pyle, Steve Lovejoy, Bob Dreps, Dick Record, […]
Continue ReadingWisconsin Freedom of Information CouncilMinutes of the April 28, 2011 meetingCapital Newspapers auditorium 1) Call to order. Meeting was called to order at 2:05 p.m. Present were Dee Hall, BillLueders, Christa Westerberg, Bob Dreps, Chris Hardie, Anita Weier, Bob Dreschel, MarkPitsch, Beth Bennett, George Stanley, Michelle Vetterkind, Roger Schneider, Dave Zweifel,Steve Lovejoy. 2) Minutes. Minutes […]
Continue ReadingWisconsin Department of Justice attorneys will host a series of seminars in October on Wisconsin public records and open meetings laws. The seminars are designed to help government officials and the public better understand their responsibilities and rights under the law. Details are available here for the free seminars.
Continue ReadingEvery ten years, legislative and congressional district boundaries are redrawn to account for population shifts reflected in the U.S. Census. It’s an important process, one that merits months of public deliberation and scrutiny. But that’s not what happens in Wisconsin. Our state’s redistricting process is handled almost completely out of public view by the party […]
Continue ReadingWisconsin has a long and proud history of open government. We have a strong Open Meetings Law which has served Wisconsin citizens well. That law, which requires public notice at least 24 hours before public meetings, applies to your library board, school board and city council – but it does not apply to the Wisconsin […]
Continue ReadingIt’s important to be clear about what the state Supreme Court did not do today. It did not rule that the Wisconsin Legislature obeyed the state Open Meetings Law in passing changes to collective bargaining. It did not deem the Open Meetings Law a dumb idea. Rather, it concluded, on separation of powers grounds, that […]
Continue ReadingNo matter how people feel about the changes to Wisconsin’s collective bargaining laws passed by the Legislature in March — and then voided on May 26 by Judge Maryann Sumi — Wisconsin residents should take heart in Judge Sumi’s decision. She declared the state’s Open Meetings Law means something. “This case is the exemplar of […]
Continue ReadingThis is to alert you to a provision in a motion adopted on May 24 by the Legislature’s Joint Finance Committee. The motion, at Point 6, would “amend current law to specify that statements of economic interest and any information contained therein may only be available for public inspection and copying at the office of […]
Continue ReadingWhen 14 Democratic state senators from Wisconsin fled to Illinois in February to avoid voting on Gov. Scott Walker’s controversial anti-collective bargaining bill, a constituent complained to Attorney General J.B. Van Hollen about the secret meetings the senators were having far from the Capitol, with no public notice. Van Hollen’s office told the disgruntled taxpayer […]
Continue ReadingThe key question in the ongoing legal tussle over Gov. Scott Walker’s budget repair bill comes down to this: “Must the Legislature comply with the state’s Open Meetings Law?” At first glance, the answer might seem obvious, since the Legislature itself pledged to comply when it passed the law in 1975. Here’s the exact language: […]
Continue ReadingBy Bill Lueders, WisFOIC President I’d like to thank you all for coming. I should confess that I had very little to do with putting together this event. Primary credit for that goes to the Wisconsin Center for Investigative journalism, and especially Andy Hall. This was his idea, and I wisely insisted that he do […]
Continue ReadingFOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE3/15/2011 CONTACT: Andy Hall, 608-262-3642, ahall@wisconsinwatch.orgBill Lueders, 608-251-5627, blueders@isthmus.com Dave Zweifel, editor emeritus of The Capital Times, has been named the inaugural recipient of the Distinguished Wisconsin Watchdog Award in recognition of his decades-long efforts to increase public access to information about government. Zweifel will receive the award April 20 at the first […]
Continue ReadingIn 1836, with a vision for the city that would become Wisconsin’s capital, James Doty proposed that it be named after the man known as the “father of the Constitution,” who had died that year. James Madison, the fourth U.S. president, is one of the most lasting and relevant of our Founding Fathers. A signer […]
Continue ReadingSunshine Week, a national celebration of the ideal (if not always the practice) of openness in government, was launched in 2005 and is already a tradition. This year it’s set for March 13-19. In connection with this event, the Wisconsin Freedom of Information Council is giving its fifth annual “Opee” Awards to those who’ve made […]
Continue ReadingWISCONSIN FREEDOM OF INFORMATION COUNCIL101 KING ST. MADISON WI 53703 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASEContact: Bill Lueders (608) 251-5627 May 26, 2011 Wisconsin Freedom of Information Council statement on Judge Maryann Sumi’s ruling The Wisconsin Freedom of Information Council appreciates the thoughtful analysis that instructed Dane County Circuit Court Judge Maryann Sumi’s ruling striking down the collective […]
Continue ReadingWISCONSIN FREEDOM OF INFORMATION COUNCIL 101 KING ST. MADISON WI 53703 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Bill Lueders (608) 251-5627 March 10, 2011 State Freedom of Information Council bestows annual “Opee” Awards The Wisconsin Freedom of Information Council, as part of national Sunshine Week (sunshineweek.org), March 13-19, is bestowing its fifth annual round of awards in […]
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