Celebrating Sunshine Week in Oregon
March 12-18, 2023
Started in 2005 by the American Society of News Editors, Sunshine Week has become a national celebration of public records access laws and open government. Here in Oregon, the Office of the Public Records Advocate is joining in the promotion of transparency with efforts of its own:
Listen to an interview of Todd Albert, Public Records Advocate, and Yufeng Luo, Deputy Public Records Advocate, on the Jefferson Exchange on Jefferson Public Radio as they discuss their work, the paths through public service that brought them to the office, and some of the ongoing hurdles to records disclosure faced by records requesters and custodians alike;
Learn about SB 417, a bill drafted by the Public Records Advisory Council, which seeks to improve and clarify the way public bodies determine the actual cost for disclosing records and to streamline the system for granting fee waivers and reductions in the public interest; and
Review public records appellate orders regarding disputed requests to local governments on the newly launched District Attorney Public Records Orders Database. All available orders from two counties are now available on the database, with more being added on a regular basis. The goal is to eventually feature all 36 of Oregon’s counties. This database was made possible through the cooperation and partnership of the Local Legal Initiative program of the Oregon Chapter of the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press, the Oregon Department of Justice, and the State of Oregon Law Library. For additional public records information and guides, visit the Resources page on the website of the Public Records Advocate.
|
