Visit these sites for additonal useful information
Links to state statutes can be found at these sites.
The Freedom of Information Center
Public Broadcasting System NOW
General Information
E-Mail,‘Sunshine,’ and Public Records The electronic world holds legal traps for the unsuspecting school board member. By Margaret A. Chidester and Heather Asplund.
Government Witness As political deal making moves to chat rooms, the public tries to log in. By Brett N. Dorny
Sunshine Laws are briefly reviewed in the First Amendment Handbook.
Let the Sunshine In. Using e-mail for board business? Check open-meeting laws.
By Andrew Trotter
These reports cover issues dealing with the public’s right of access to meetings conducted by governmental policy-making and advisory bodies.
The Online Media Center provides a detailed article on Federal Sunshine Laws.
The California First Amendment Coliation provides instructions for Passing Your Own Sunshine Law.
State Open-Meetings and Open-Records Laws in Higher Education: An Annotated Bibliography prepared by Michael K. McLendon, Leigh Gilchrist and James C. Hearn was published in January 2003.
A state-by-state review of State and local developments was prepared by Frosty Landon in 2001 FOI Update can be found on the First Amendment Center site.
Some Assembly Reguired: The Application of State Open Meeting Laws to email Correspondence by John F. O’Connor and Michael J. Baratz is available on teh Steptoe & Johnson LLP site. 2004 Geo.MasonL.Rev. 719.
Alabama
Search Alabama’s Attorney General’s Opinions.
Alaska
Search Alaska’s Attorney General’s Opinions.
Introduction to Alaska’s Open Meetings Act is a guide for Alaska government agencies and school districts prepared by Perkins Coie, Anchorage.
Arizona
Search Arizona’s Attorney General’s Opinions.
Arkansas
Search Arkansas’ Attorney General’s Opinions.
Arkansas Freedom of Information Act, Fourth Edition (2004) by John J. Watkins & Richard J. Peltz is available from M & M Press.
Arkansas FOIA resources list is available at NW-AR.COMmunity Bulliten Board.
California
Search California’ s Attorney General’s Opinions.
The Brown Act in text format can be found at the Cal State web site.
SPJ-Northern California has prepared a Pocket Guide to the Brown Act.
The UAS Sunshine Guide is an open meeting reference handbook created for the Board of Directors of Cal State L.A. University Auxiliary Services, Inc, an auxiliary organization of the California State University system.
S.F. Nonprofits Could Be Held to Open Meeting Laws, San Francisco Chronicle - Tuesday, November 25, 1997 - Page A18, Carla Marinucci, Chronicle Staff Writer.
An on-line version of a Pocket Guide to Open Meeting Laws in California is provided as a service of Freedom Forum.
The California First Amendment Coliation provides a summary of the NFOIC Assembly Report.
Open Meetings Laws Reference Chart compiled by Eugenia Laychak, Center for Collaborative Policy copmares the United States:Federal Advisory Committee Act, California State: Bagley-Keene Open Meeting Act the California Local: Ralph M. Brown Act.
Challenging Issue: Open Meeting Laws and Consensus-Building (Part II) by Lauri Boxer-Macomber appears on the Center for Collaborative Policy site.
Too Much Sun? Emerging Challenges Presented By California & Federal Open Meeting Legislation to Public Policy Consensus-Building Processes prepared by Lauri Diana Boxer-Macomber, Center for Collaborative Policy was published in September 2003.
Colorado
Search Colorado’s Attorney General’s Opinions.
Colorado State Archives provides text of laws pertinent to public records issues.
Colorado Open Meetings and Open Records Laws Affecting Charter Schools was prepared for Colorado Charter Schools by Barry K. Arrington.
Connecticut
The Freedom of Information Center provides A Citizen’s Guide to the Freedom of Information Commission.
Deleware
Search Deleware’s Attorney General’s Opinions.
Florida
Search Florida’s Attorney General’s Glossary of Open Meetings Opinions.
Florida’s Attorney General’s site has links to state statutes and Florida’s Government-in-the-Sunshine Manual.
These Most Frequently Asked Questions on Florida’s Open Government Laws are intended to be used as a reference only.
The University of Florida Office of General Counsel has prepared a Synopsis of Florida’s Open Government Laws.
Georgia
Search Georgia’s Attorney General’s Opinions.
The Georgia Center for Nonprofits provides a short discussion on open records and open meeting laws as they apply to nonprofits.
Hawaii
Search Hawaii’s Attorney General’s Opinions.
Openline is a monthly publication of the Office of Information Practices, State of Hawaii.
Idaho
Search Idaho’ Attorney General’s Opinions.
Illinois
Search Illinois’ Attorney General’s Opinions.
The text of the Illinois Open Meetings Act can be found on the Illinois Emergency Management Agency site.
Jay Hedges, Director of the Department of Commerce and Community Affairs reviewed the Illinois Open Meeting Act.
The Chicago Headline Club, a chapter of the Society of Professional Jouralists provides information for reporters.
James D. Wascher’s feature article offers 8 Easy Ways to “Keep Out of Jail.”
The Lawyers’ School Reform Advisory Project provides a discussion of the Requirements of the Open Meetings Act.
A Guide to the Illinois Open Meetings Act in pdf format can be downloaded.
Citizen Advocacy Center Open Meetings Act Study By Terry Pastika and Sarah Klaper is available at DCBA Brief Online, the Journal of the DuPage County Bar Association.
Indiana
Search Indiana’s Attorney General’s Opinions.
A Handbook on Indiana’s Public Access Laws is available in pdf format.
Iowa
Search Iowa’s Attorney General’s Opinions.
Iowa Freedom of Information / Open Meetings, Open Records Handbook is the ninth edition of a publication designed to help keep Iowans abreast of the requirements of the state’s open meetings and open records laws.
The Laws of Openess are discussed by the Drake University School of Journalism and Mass Communication.
Kansas
Search Kansas’ Attorney General’s Opinions.
Kentucky
The Kentucky Attorney General’s site provides most open record and open meetings decisions.
This booklet published by the Attorney General in April 2001 is designed to assist in legal research of open records and open meetings issues.
Louisiana
Search Louisiana’s Attorney General’s Opinions.
Maine
What You Need to Know About Public Records & Open Meetings in Maine was released in April 2006 by Preti Flaherty Beliveau & Pachios LLP.
Maryland
Search Maryland’s Attorney General’s Opinions.
Maryland’s Attorney General provides information on open goverment.
Many web resources on media and open goverment can be found at The Law Offices of Mary R. Craig.
The Maryland Open Meetings Law Compliance Board reviews and resolves complaints and issues written opnions.
The Maryland Municipal League, the Association of Cities and Towns provides links to resources.
Massachusetts
About Our Legal System: Freedom of Information, Massachusetts Bar Association Freedom of Information and Open Meeting Laws: A Pathfinder.
Understanding the Open Meeting Law is available from the District Attorney of Norfolk County.
Michigan
Search Michigan’s Attorney General’s Opinions.
Minnesota
Search Minnesota’s Attorney General’s Opinions.
Mississippi
Search Mississippi’s Attorney General’s Opinions.
Missouri
Search Missouri’s Attorney General’s Opinions.
The Top Ten Things You Should Know about the Misouri Sunshine Law.
A summary of the law and sample forms are available.
The Freedom of Information Center at the University of Missouri is a specialized reference library.
Montana
Search Montana’s Attorney General’s Opinions.
Nebraska
Search Nebraska’s Attorney General’s Opinions.
Nebraska’s Open Meeting Law is discussed in NebFacts, a publication of the Cooperative Extension, Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resourses, University of Nebraska-Lincoln.
Nevada
Search Nevada’s Attorney General’s Opinions.
New Hampshire
Search New Hampshires’s Attorney General’s Opinions.
New Jersey
A Guide to the New Jersey Open Public Meetings Act - A publication from the NJ Department of Public Advocate to acquaint citizens with their rights under the“Sunshine Law” is avalable in .pdf format.
The New Jersey School Boards Association publication by John Burns, Esq. Assistant Counsel, Legal Compliance with the Open Public Meetings Act in the Technological Age reviews email and telephonic meetings.
New Mexico
Search New Mexico’s Attorney General’s Opinions.
New Mexico’s Attorney General provides informaton on the state’s Sunshine Laws.
New York
Search New York’s Attorney General’s Opinions.
The Open Meetings Law Index consists of a revised index in which the subject matter of advisory opinions rendered by the Committee under the Open Meetings Law is identified by one or more key phrases.
North Carolina
Search North Carolina’s Attorney General’s Opinions.
North Dakota
Search North Dakota’s Attorney General’s Opinions.
An Open Records and Meetings Manual can be downloaded in pfd format.
Ohio
Search Ohio’s Attorney General’s Opinions.
This site provides rulings handed down by the Ohio Supreme Court along with a brief description of the case.
Oklahoma
Search Oklahoma’s Attorney General’s Opinions.
The Oklahoma Open Meeting & Open Records Book, published by Oklahoma Press Service, Inc.contains the text of Oklahoma laws and digests of court cases and attorney General’s opinions.
Open Meetings: the rules most often broken by Susan Loving reviews areas of the law easily missed.
Oregon
Search Oregon’s Attorney General’s Opinions.
Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania’ s Attorney General’s Opinions can be reviewed by year.
Rhode Island
Seach Rhode Island’s Attorney General’s Opinions.
The Attorney General’s Guide to Open Government in Rhode Island is a reference guide to judicial decisions, statutes, and Attorney General findings/advisory opinions.
Open Meeting Law Requirements for Libraries became effective September 1, 2005.
Complaints and compliance in Rhode Island is discussed by Linda Lotridge Levin on the ACCESS/RI site.
How you can optain records is a Sunshine Week poster on records and open meeting laws.
South Carolina
Search South Carolina’s Attorney General’s Opinions from 2007 to present. Attorney General’s Opinions dating from 1959 to present are available on the Westlaw or Lexis research databases.
South Dakota
Search South Dakota’s Attorney General’s Opinions.
South Dakota Newspaper Services, Inc. provides useful FAQs.
Tennessee
Search Tennessee’s Attorney General’s Opinions.
Texas
Search Texas’ Attorney General’s Opinions.
Numerious links to Texas Open meeting information can be found on the Attorney General’s site.
Utah
Search Utah’s Attorney General’s Opinions.
Vermont
Search Vermont’s Attorney General’s Opinions from 2000 through present. Opinions from previous years may be obtained by contacting Susan Vantine at 802-828-5500. The state law library still retains the volumes of bound Attorney General Opinions from the early 1970s and before.
A Pocket Guide to Open Meetings 1999 1. Defining Open Meetings 2. Public Notice 3. The Right to Speak 4. Executive Session 5. What the Law is Not 6. Minutes 7. Enforcement 8. Final Thought.
Virginia
Search Virgina’s Attorney General’s Opinions.
Virginia Coalition for Open Government - Freedom of Information is a non-profit, non-partisan partnership working for easy access to public records and government meetings.
Washington
Search Washington’s Attorney General’s Opinions.
Open Records & Open Meetings Deskbook was prepared with the oversight of the Attorney General’s Office.
Washington, D.C.
West Virginia
A Checklist for Compliance with the Open Meetings Act and Open Meetings Brochure are available from West Virginia’s Ethics Commission.
Wisconsin
Search Winsonsin’s Attorney General’s Opinions.
The Wisconsin Attorney General and the Department of Justice provides links to documents that are the Department’s attempt to explain and clarify the law. The information is designed to respond to issues of common concern.
The Wisconsin Department of Justice has prepared the Wisconsin Open Meetings Law, A Compliance Guide, 2005.
Wyoming
Search Wyoming’s Attorney General’s Opinions.