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<h3>[http://www.prwatch.org/node/
12234 WI Senate Fast-Tracks Bill To Close Forest to Benefit Out-of-
State
Mining Firm
]</h3>
+
<h3>[http://www.prwatch.org/node/
12250 Wisconsin Media Defends
State
Open Records Law
]</h3>
−
by [http://www.prwatch.org/users/
35310
/
alex
-
oberley Alex Oberley
]
+
by [http://www.prwatch.org/users/
35278
/
prw
-
staff PRW Staff
]
−
A controversial out-of-state mining company is closer to gaining control over a 3,600-acre swath of publicly available forest near where it is planning a massive open-pit iron ore mine in Northern
Wisconsin.
The Florida firm, Gogebic Taconite,
has
begun test drilling in
the
area and has already stirred controversy by hiring out-
of
-
state
armed security with automatic assault weapons
to
guard their activities. The Arizona firm was kicked out of
the
state after the media uncovered they were not licensed here. Now Gogebic Taconite is attempting to shut down whole forests to keep its controversial mining activities from protestors
and
curious eyes
.
+
Wisconsin
Attorney General J
.
B. Van Hollen
has
taken
the
unprecedented step
of
asserting that a
state
legislator cannot be held accountable for refusing
to
disclose public records in response to a lawful open records request by
the
Center for Media
and
Democracy
.
−
The
Wisconsin
Senate Committee on Workforce Development, Forestry, Mining,
and
Revenue passed [https://docs.legis.wisconsin.gov/2013/proposals/sb278 Senate Bill 278], which would give Gogebic Taconite
the
right to close
the
forest for up to 18 months, on a party line 3-2 vote
in
a hurried executive
session
last week. The bill is headed to the full Senate, when it reconvenes later this month
.
+
Van Hollen's department asserted in court filings that
Wisconsin
Senator --
and
American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) national treasurer -- Leah Vukmir cannot be served with a court order demanding that she comply with her legal responsibilities under
the
open records law while
the
state legislature is
in session.
−
Read the rest of this item [http://www.prwatch.org/node/
12234
here].
+
Read the rest of this item [http://www.prwatch.org/node/
12250
here].
----
----
−
<h3>[http://www.prwatch.org/node/
12231 Freedom of Information Foundation of Texas Files Brief in Opposition
to
ALEC
's
Effort to Evade
Open Records
Law
]</h3>
+
<h3>[http://www.prwatch.org/node/
12248 CMD Responds
to
Senator Vukmir
's
Claim about
Open Records]</h3>
−
by [http://www.prwatch.org/users/
35275
/
brendan
-
fischer Brendan Fischer
]
+
by [http://www.prwatch.org/users/
35278
/
prw
-
staff PRW Staff
]
−
The
Freedom of Information Foundation of Texas has filed a brief with state Attorney General Greg Abbott in support of
the Center for Media and Democracy's
request for records pertaining
to
the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC),
and
further refuting ALEC
's
effort to declare its communications immune from the state
public records
law
.
+
<small>'''''
The
following is
the Center for Media and Democracy's
response
to
Senator Leah Vukmir's statement regarding CMD's public records case
and
her claim that she has "fully complied" with CMD
's public records
request
.
The following can be attributed to CMD General Counsel Brendan Fischer:'''''</small>
−
“ALEC’s arguments reflect a dangerous trend of claiming a constitutional right to close
the public
off from governmental body deliberations," says attorney Joe Larsen, a member of FOIFT's Board of Directors. "However, the real purpose of the First Amendment is to further the ‘free trade in ideas.’ That’s done through transparency, not behind closed doors
.
”
+
We do not believe that Senator Vukmir has complied with
the public
records law
.
−
Read the rest of this item [http://www.prwatch.org/node/
12231
here].
+
Senator Vukmir is ALEC’s national treasurer. She attended ALEC’s Oklahoma City meeting in May 2013 and sponsored an ALEC “model” bill that was adopted by ALEC politicians and corporate lobbyists as ALEC policy. Former ALEC Health & Human Services Task Force Director Christie Herrera congratulated Senator Vukmir on the bill's passage with a text message: "Great job Madame Sponsor!"
+
+
Read the rest of this item [http://www.prwatch.org/node/
12248
here].
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