Sunshine Report for April 2021: it started with a redacted report; states of denial; FOIA litigation; conviction review unit; and more open government news

Sunshine Report for February 2021: virtual legislature; FOIA & the Public Records Act; filling vacancies; lots of open government news & pssst, it's our 25th birthday!

Sunshine Report for December 2020: FOIA Council proposals; oral confidentiality agreement; FOIA litigation; low on the S.W.A.M.P. index

Sunshine Report for November 2020: FOIA fees here & across the country; FOIA Council; high-level denials; court cases; and more

Sunshine Report, September 2020: special session; virtual meetings; COVID in higher ed; court cases and lots more open government news

The volunteers who make up Transparency Virginia have released their 2020 report on legislative transparency, again authored by VCOG's Megan Rhyne.

Sunshine Report for June 2020: FOIA win at Supreme Court; COVID-19 and open government; the limitations of virtual meetings 

Sunshine Report for April 2020: Coronavirus, what else?

click here for details and registration or click here to donate

Sunshine Report for January 2020: Bills to watch this session; GMU ruling; our new intern; a scathing farewell and more

Sunshine Report for November 2019: media awards; FOIA statistics; malfeasance charges dropped; economic development & more

Congratulations to the winners of VCOG's 2019 FOI Media Award winners!

First Place, Broadcast Television Stations, WDBJ7, Tim Saunders.
First Place, Daily Newspapers, Richmond Times-Dispatch, Patrick Wilson.
First Place, Non-Daily Newspapers, Rappahannock News, John McCaslin:
First Place, Online News Outlets, Virginia Mercury, Mechelle Hankerson 
Runner-up, Broadcast Television Stations, NBC29, Henry Graff
Runner-up, Daily Newspapers, The Roanoke Times, Jeff Sturgeon
Runner-up, Non-Daily Newspapers, The Tidewater News, Stephen Feleski

Sunshine Report for August 2019: TVa legislative transparency review; FOIA & phishing; Va. Beach transparency & more

VCOG's annual report, June 2019

Sunshine Report for May 2019: Transparent GMU; Supreme Court rules; our annual conference and lots of open government news

Sunshine Report for March 2019: General Assembly recap; Richmond schools' budget; thoughts on lobbying; news

VCOG Sunshine Report for February 2019: General Assembly at the halfway point; FOIA & the AG's office; open government news

Sunshine Report for December 2018: Amazon; court records/rules; on the road; open government news on missed meetings, defamation & contradiction

VCOG's monthly newsletter for October 2018: A new look; why you need us after the elections; government websites; closed meeting on vice mayor's title

Sunshine Report, August 2018: open government news; OES/FOIA lawsuits; FOIA Council training; foundations/universities

Sunshine Report for June 2018: SCOVA FOIA case; records sealed because of second-guessing citizen; open government news

Sunshine Week 2018
March 11 -17
VCOG's Free events

THIS IS THE HOME OF VCOG'S ANNUAL BILL CHART FOR THE 2017 GENERAL ASSEMBLY SESSION. BILLS WILL BE ADDED AS THEY ARE FILED.

The conference on Nov. 12 was a big success. Check out the program and our sponsors from the links below.

Thank you to our sponsors

VCOG filed an amicus brief in the Virginia Supreme Court case Department of Corrections v. Surovell.

Transparency Virginia, of which VCOG is a member, released a report that discusses some of the less-than-transparent practices at the General Assembly. The report takes note of the number of times bills were killed without a recorded vote, as well as instances where meetings were scheduled with little to no notice and some bills were never considered. The report's conclusion is that transparency takes collective will and collective action. Every member of the General Assembly can contribute to a more open, more citizen-friendly legislative process.

PLEASE NOTE: THE LINK FOR THE LEGISLATIVE UPDATE BELOW IS FAULTY. THIS IS THE CORRECT LINK: http://www.opengovva.org/2015-legislative-wrap

In this issue

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In this issue

Charlottesville's Waldo Jaquith talks about his project States Decoded at the National FOI Coalition FOI Summit in New Orleans, May 18.

The April 2013 issue of the Sunshine Report is online, featuring a round-up of Sunshine Week stories, court cases and open government in the news during the month of March.