LWVMN looks into Minnesota’s transparency

Sunshine Week is in full swing and the League of Women Voters of Minnesota is seeing how transparent Minnesota really is.

According to the Marion Brechner Citizen Access Project, Minnesota ranks highly in its application of the data practices act to all government agencies and minimizing fees for people requesting access to view a record.

The state didn’t fare so well in maintainting separate indices for public data stored on computers,  records that are not kept by the agency from which the records are sought, the lack of time frame in responding to public requests,  computer purchasing requirements, no statement on records pertaining to public schools, a lack of the application of the open meeting law to party caucuses, the lack of guidance for destroying public records, and for not designating any requirement of notification to the press, public or sex offenders about the posting of sex offender registry information on the Internet.

Each state is rated on a 7-point scale, with a seven indicating the section allows the most access.

Investigative Reporters and Editors also ranked each state by their ability to comply with the Freedom of Information Act. Minnesota was given a D and ranked 40th out of 50 states. Response time, appeals and penalties helped put Minnesota low on the list.

Sunshine Week is a movement to showcase the importance of open government and the freedom of information in government. Led by The American Society of News Editors, it began in 2005 and coincides with National FOI Day on March 16.

To get involved with Sunshine Week, contact the state or regional coordinators for your area or e-mail Sunshine Week coordinator Cristal Williams Chancellor at (JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).