Contact: Ian Marquand, SPJ Freedom of Information Committee chairman

ian@kpax.com or 406/542-4400

Good news from Connecticut. The legislature there has passed a law that opens up records of private companies performing state government functions. The bill is now awaiting Gov. John Rowland's signature.

House Bill 6636 makes it clear that when a private firm enters a contract with a state agency to perform public functions, the records of those functions are subject to the state's FOIA and shall be made available to (and through) the public agency.

To take a look at how Connecticut is handling the troubling issue of public-private partnerships and the records they create, visit the legislature's Web site at:

www.cga.state.ct.us/default.htm

Type the bill number - 6636 - in the box provided.

Looking for another resource for state FOI laws? A law firm in Eugene, Ore., (Bahr & Stotter) has launched "foiadvocates.com," featuring links to federal agencies and state access laws in all 50 states. The site also offers help in FOIA filings, requests for fee waivers and litigation.

To check out the site or offer comments, visit: http://www.foiadvocates.com

You can contact David Bahr at 541/686-3277.

FOI advocates in Maine are creating a new state coalition and are seeking advice on how to manage the organization. Anyone with tips (or an interest in Maine FOI) should contact Judy Meyer at the Sun Journal in Lewistown, Maine, at 800/482-0759, ext. 2302. Judy's e-mail address is jmeyer@SUNJOURNAL.COM.

The American Society of Newspaper Editors and the First Amendment Center have collaborated on a new report on "Freedom of Information in the Digital Age."

To obtain a hard copy, call ASNE at 703/453-1122 or send e-mail to: asne@asne.org. Or, download a .pdf version from the Freedom Forum Web site at:

http://www.freedomforum.org/templates/document.asp?documentID=13597

The National Freedom of Information Coalition held its annual meeting May 25-26 in Newport Beach, Calif. Now, thanks to Barbara Croll Fought at the Newhouse School at Syracuse University, the summaries of that gathering's panels and programs are available through the FOI-L listserv. Topics include:

*Conference Summary

*Electronic Records

*Municipal Sunshine Laws

*State Reports (highlights from the past year)

*Tips for Monitoring FOI in Your State

*State Public Records Audits

To contact Barbara directly, e-mail: bcfought@syr.edu

To subscribe to FOI-L, e-mail: listserv@listserv.syr.edu

In the body of the message type the following, substituting your real names:

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