Secrecy Tracker

An Illinois lawmaker has put forth a bill, SB 1357, called “FOIA-ABUSE BY OFFICIAL” that is currently in committee. Michael Hastings, the sponsoring legislator, declined to comment on what prompted him to propose the bill that targets local officials misusing FOIA. “An elected official of a unit of local government shall…

A bill in Connecticut would allow agencies to ignore threatening or harassing public record requests for up to three years. Senate Bill 466, titled “An Act Concerning Vexatious Requesters Under the Freedom of Information Act, passed out of committee a few weeks ago (on a 13-6 vote). Current law allows…

The Illinois Legislature has an astonishing 22 bills in its current session revolving around the topic of burdensome public records requests. That is far more than most states, which typically have a few such bills, according to research by Samantha Sunne of the Brechner FOI Project. Six of the bills…

A group of public information advocates is proposing an easier alternative to resolve denied public records requests in Idaho. Earlier this month, the Idaho Press Club proposed a bill that would create a new process akin to a “small claims” court, the Idaho Statesman reports. Under current law, requesters’ only…

Leading data journalist, educator and trainer Samantha Sunne will coordinate the Brechner FOI Project’s national Secrecy Tracker, monitoring legislation across the nation related to public records and open meetings, synthesizing trends, and educating advocates and policy makers. Sunne (pronounced “Sunny”) is co-author of the textbook “Data + Journalism: A Story-Driven…

Washington state House lawmakers have reinstated a controversial email auto-deletion policy, allowing most legislative emails, including those about bills and communications with lobbyists, to be permanently erased after 30 days. The move has drawn criticism from transparency advocates who say it weakens the public’s ability to scrutinize how laws are…

The Iowa Legislature has passed House File 706, a bill that would add a new exemption to keep Capitol security camera footage confidential. On the plus side, the bill raises fines for open meetings violations — from $100–$500 to $500–$2,500 — and increases penalties for knowing violations to $5,000–$12,500. It also requires…

A bill clarifying aspects of Arkansas’ public meetings law has passed the Senate and is now heading to the governor’s desk. Senate Bill 227 specifies what city councils, quorum courts, and school boards can discuss outside of a public meeting. It also allows courts to nullify decisions made by a…

In Oklahoma, House Bill 2163, proposes the creation of a Public Access Counselor within the Office of the Attorney General to handle complaints related to denied public records.  According to reporting from the Oklahoma Voice, Republican House Rep. John Pfeiffer, R-Orlando, who authored the bill, said he hopes this will…

Iowa House representatives are moving forward with legislation that aims to increase training for local officials on open meetings and public record laws, and to raise penalties for open meeting violations According to a report from Iowa Capital Dispatch, the passing of House File 706 marks the second year that…

The Utah Legislature has received the Society of Professional Journalists’ Black Hole Award, a dubious honor that highlights significant violations of the public’s right to know. The award was presented for two new laws, Senate Bill 277 and House Bill 69, passed in the 2025 General Session that alter how…

A new bill could bring public access back to the selection process for Florida’s public university and college presidents.  According to reporting from The Daytona Beach News- Journal, Republican state Sen. Alexis Calatayud and state rep. Michelle Salzman filed identical bills, SB 1726 and HB 1321, to remove the public…