NC Open Government

Charlotte Observer (6/27/14): As some charter school's around the state have balked at providing employee names and salaries under the public records law, the Senate moved to make it clear that charter schools must comply. The House approved an amendment to the bill Thursday that would allow the schools to withhold only the employees' names. 

Gov. Pat McCrory on Tuesday signed an economic development reform bill that significantly reduces the amount of information available under the public records law.

News & Record (6/18/2014): Photographs taken of people after they are arrested would  only become public records upon conviction if a proposal pending in the General Assembly passes into law. 

WRAL (6/4/2014): As part of a reorganization of how economic development activities are carried out in North Carolina, the General Assembly is considering broadening the public records exemption for tax incentives programs. 

A provision in the budget bill would require records seekers asking for booking photographs to affirmatively state their intent for the photograph. The bill would make it a crime to publish mug shot photos for publishers that demand money before taking them down. It also would require publishers to remove or retract the photographs and any descriptions of an arrest if the charges are dropped or the person is acquitted. 

Independent Tribune: A bill introduced last week would require school systems to create schematic diagrams of school facilities and then provide a copy to local law enforcement. The diagrams would be exempted from the public records law. 

WRAL (5/20/14): A bill introduced last week in the General Assembly would create an exemption from the public records law for any document that contains aerial photographs or GPS data of farms. 

News & Observer (5/20/2014): Superior Court Judge Bryan Collins ruled Monday that releasing a spreadsheet that shows athletes enrollment in by sport in fraudulant classes, with names redacted, would violate federal student privacy protections. 

Winston-Salem Journal (5/12/14): Judge Thomas Schroder of the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of North Carolina heard arguments Friday on the concept of legislative immunity. The arguments were part of a challenge to the state's new voter ID requirement. The ruling could potentially have an effect on the N.C. Public Records Law.

Triangle Business Journal (5/6/2014): Richard Lindenmuth, interim CEO of the Economic Development Partnership of N.C., told the TBJ that the records law was to blame for Toyota choosing Texas over North Carolina for its new North American headquarters.