February 10, 2008 — ALBANY — With a surge in visits to its Web site, the state Committee on Open Government is urging the state Legislature to strengthen laws aimed at increasing access to public records and government.
The Committee on Open Government, a state agency charged with overseeing the state's Freedom of Information laws, or FOIL, said it has seen growth in the number of people utilizing its Web site over the past year.
In its annual report to the state Legislature, the committee said the number of hits to its Web site — www.dos.state.ny.us/coog/coogwww.html — grew by nearly 40 percent between 2006 and 2007, for a total of nearly 2.5 million visitors.
The committee is using the growth to lobby the Legislature to strengthen laws on the public's access to government records.
"It seems that there has been an explosion in the public's interest in open-government laws," said Bob Freeman, the committee's executive director, who has been with the agency since 1974.
People and the press typically file FOIL requests for correspondence by officials, government documents, meeting minutes and how taxes are spent.
Here are some recommendations from the Committee on Open Government's report:
Authorize courts to invalidate actions by boards when the actions occurred in violation of Open Meetings Law.
Require award of attorney's fees when it is proven in court that votes happened illegally.
Require that notices of meetings of an agency be posted online.
Assembly Governmental Operations Committee Chairman RoAnn Destito, D-Rome, Oneida County, said she expects to hear the agency's recommendations at a hearing next week.
JSPECTOR@Gannett.com
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