Virginia advocate is personally motivated
to reveal effectiveness of recovery programs

Michael McDermott is locked in a legal battle with the state of Virginia in his quest to publish overdose response incidents and shed light on the effectiveness or ineffectiveness of state programs battling drug addiction. 

His efforts, he says, will save lives. Transparency will reveal which programs fail. Armed with that knowledge, the state can direct money toward more effective recovery programs.

McDermott’s personal experience has been a great motivator for his work as a community recovery addict at Faces and Voices of Recovery (FAVOR) of Virginia, a grassroots coalition advocating for non-government recovery service providers.

McDermott, who has a history of struggles with unhealthy drug use, is celebrating more than 30 years without addiction. He uses the skills he cultivated throughout his recovery to help others who are suffering.

Thanks to Virginia’s Freedom of Information Act, McDermott regularly gains access to monthly overdose incident data from the Virginia Office of Emergency Medical Services (OEMS). After being filtered and aggregated, the data show a four-year trend of ineffectiveness, he says.

Study finds more tax-subsidy transparency in states, but still plenty of ‘room for improvement’

Public disclosure of tax subsidy programs is improving generally, but more than a third of state economic development agencies still keep deals secret as they lure big business.

That’s according to an April 2022 study by Good Jobs First, which reported that 62% of agencies that administer business incentives disclose reasonable information about companies receiving tax benefits. That’s up from 55% that received a passing grade in 2014.

“Transparency has been growing — across the country and over time — and that’s a good thing. However, there is room for improvement,” said Kasia Tarczynska, study co-author and a research analyst at Good Jobs First, told Bloomberg Tax.

New Jersey township backtracks, drops lawsuit against woman, 82, for filing records requests

A New Jersey municipality that had sued an 82-year-old woman for seeking a “burdensome” number of public records has dropped its lawsuit, after a wave of media attention and backlash.

Irvington Township in 2021 sued Elouise McDaniel for filing numerous requests under the state’s Open Public Records Act.

“They were trying to intimidate Ms. McDaniel,” Amol Sinha, executive director of ACLU New Jersey, told NBC Channel 4 of New York. “The question I have for a city like Irvington that may be using this tactic is — what is it that they are trying to hide?”

NFOIC begins transfer of administrative duties
to Virginia coalition, renews focus on members

At the direction of the Board, NFOIC staff through June 2022 will turn full attention to ensuring a smooth and successful handoff of administrative duties to the Virginia Coalition for Open Government and programming responsibilities to the Board, other volunteers and partners. 

Plans are taking shape to provide, without interruption, the benefits of NFOIC membership you value most, including hosting an annual FOI Summit, regular roundtable discussions, and conversations on the member listserv. 

Deadline is soon! NFOIC competition invites
research proposals focused on FOI, technology

Top-three papers will earn cash prizes and will be guaranteed publication in the online Journal of Civic Information, published by the University of Florida’s Brechner Center for Freedom of Information.