IFOIC
Governor signs long-sought law on public record fees
Randy Evans, executive directorIowa Freedom of Information Council This article is free to use and publish in your publication. Gov. Kim Reynolds signed into law Monday a bill that has been on the Iowa Newspaper Association’s “wish list” since 2018. SF 2322 makes important changes in Iowa’s public records law that relate to the fees state…
Read MoreHere’s another place we need more transparency
Randy Evans, executive directorIowa Freedom of Information Council This article is free to use and publish in your publication. There has been a lot of talk lately about why Iowa’s K-12 school districts need to be more transparent, and more accessible and more accountable, to parents and the rest of the tax-paying people of Iowa.…
Read MoreSenate change won’t better inform Iowans
Randy Evans, executive directorIowa Freedom of Information Council This article is free to use and publish in your publication. Typically, in the days leading up to the start of a new session of the Iowa Legislature, the attention is on lawmakers’ goals and priorities — and on the pledges they make to work together for…
Read MoreSchool officials haven’t learned important lesson
By Randy EvansExecutive DirectorIowa Freedom of Information Council This article is free to use and publish in your publication. The past couple of years have been challenging for Iowa’s 327 public school districts. Parents have become very engaged with their schools — and enraged, too, at times. This has revolved around masks and vaccines, what…
Read MorePublic must be informed in doctor discipline
By Randy Evans, Executive DirectorIowa Freedom of Information Council This article is free to use and publish in your publication. The Iowa Legislature’s “To Do” list should be a little longer after last week. And people need to contact their senators and representatives in the Legislature to make sure they understand their duty is to…
Read MoreGovernment losing sight of serving the public
Randy Evans, executive directorIowa Freedom of Information Council This article is free to use and publish in your publication. Several times a week, someone reaches out to me because they had difficulty learning about a government meeting or ran into obstacles trying to get government records. These calls and emails to the Iowa Freedom of Information…
Read MoreGovernment needs room for common sense
Randy Evans, executive directorIowa Freedom of Information Council This article is free to use and publish in your publication. People like to talk about what the law says. And in Iowa, the law has a lot to say. Just look at the Iowa Code. It now fills eight volumes and costs $295 for a complete set.…
Read MoreCharter schools must have sunshine, too
Randy Evans, executive directorIowa Freedom of Information Council This article is free to use and publish in your publication. The 2021 session of the Iowa Legislature will end in a few weeks, and one big issue moving toward a final vote would make charter schools easier to create as an alternative to the traditional K-12 public…
Read MoreHow you can still lose while winning in court
Randy Evans, executive directorIowa Freedom of Information Council This article is free to use and publish in your publication. Many years ago, during a conversation with an old lawyer, he made a comment I still remember: “You can sue the bishop of Boston for bastardy, but that doesn’t mean you are going to collect.” It was…
Read MoreIowa should stop keeping police discipline secret
Randy Evans, executive directorIowa Freedom of Information Council This article is free to use and publish in your publication. The actions of journalists and police officers were in the spotlight last week in a Des Moines courtroom. The scrutiny came at the trial of Andrea Sahouri, a Des Moines Register reporter. She was arrested while…
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