ND House defeats bill to weaken open records law
April 9, 2009: "A push by North Dakota's university system for more secrecy in hiring college presidents has failed.
The measure would have exempted the first round of applications for high-level jobs from public disclosure. It applied to college presidents and the chancellor of North Dakota's university system." Read the full article here.
Mandan violated open records law, ND AG says
February 20, 2009: Attorney General Wayne Stenehjem says the city of Mandan violated North Dakota's open records law by demanding personal information from a researcher who asked about city spending.
C.T. Marhula of Grand Forks asked for Stenehjem's opinion after the city declined to respond immediately to his request. Read the full article here.
Public comment period studied
January 21, 2009: The Mandan School Board wants to tell the public what it can, or rather cannot, say at public meetings.
The board is contemplating a move to airing its board meetings on public access television. This has some board members concerned about what patrons might say about the district or its employees during the public comments section.
"I am concerned about how it occurred in the past," board member Dan Leingang said. "It has not always been a positive environment. I do not want to broadcast public communication unmonitored." Read the full article here.
Open meeting law change endorsed
January 21, 2009: A bill that aims to allow local governing bodies to gather during a disaster without issuing a public meeting notice got the endorsement of the House Judiciary Committee on Tuesday.
The bill would change the North Dakota open meeting law, allowing county commissioners, for example, to gather in the same room during a disaster, such as a tornado or flood, to help with the emergency response. Read the full article here.
| 
