Maine transparency headlines

From Sunshine Review

This article is a list of transparency related news from Maine.

	v·d·e State of Maine Augusta (capital)
Transparency Topics	Freedom of Access Act | Transparency Checklist | Government Accountability Reports | Transparency Legislation | Open Records procedures | Transparency Advocates | Transparency blogs |
Divisions	State | List of Counties | List of Cities | List of School Districts |
Government	Maine State Constitution | Executive | House of Representatives | Senate |
Judiciary	Maine Supreme Court | Circuit Court of Appeals | District Courts | Judicial Nominating Commission | Judicial news | Judicial activist organizations |
Ballot Measures	Ballot measures by year: 1911-2008 | 2008 ballot measures | Statewide ballot initiatives (2009) | List of citizen initiatives | Procedures for qualifying an initiative | Amending the constitution | History of direct democracy | Campaign finance requirements |

State sunshine
State laws How to ask for records Transparency headlines Statutory changes Notable FOIA requests
State sunshine lawsuits
State court cases E-mail access Private agency, public dollars
The WikiFOIA portal

Public Document Retrieval Filing Fees to be Applied In Wiscasset
August 6, 2008: All fees associated with gathering public documents at a citizen's request under Maine's Freedom of Access Act follows state statute except a $0.40 per page fee, according to the Wiscasset Town Planner, Jeffery Hinderliter. Read the full article here.

Investigating animal cruelty
July 8, 2008: Last Sunday, we published a lengthy investigative report by staffer Meghan Malloy that looked into an alleged puppy mill that was operating in Somerville, and looked into how state and local officials had regulated the dog-breeding operation prior to 2008.

I want to tell you how we used Maine's Freedom of Access laws to get the documents at the heart of this report. Read the full editorial here.

Sunshine for lawmakers
June 29, 2008: A new law requiring elected officials to receive training in public access to information goes into effect Tuesday, July 1.

The law requires officials - from dog catchers to selectmen to the governor - to review the frequently asked questions on the state's Web site about the Freedom of Access Act, which governs public information and proceedings. Read the full story here.