Know with confidence which items of information to share and which items to keep confidential regarding the Freedom of Information Act.
The Virginia Freedom of Information Act has been on the books since 1968. Modeled after the Federal law, it sets out the rules for state and local agencies, as well as state and local elected officials. Buddy Holly sang ‘I fought the law, and the law won.’ This session is aimed at helping you work within, not fight the law, and to win for your office and the locality or state agency you represent.
This course will help state and local officials understand the law and live with it in a way that carries out the aim of the law and doesn’t jam up your agency’s work.
The presenter has a long career of explaining the Freedom of Information Act for local and state officials in a way that reduces any problems of citizens complaining about the officials’ work and makes it straightforward for how to comply.
Agenda
Freedom of Information Act
Purpose of Act
Two Part of Freedom of Information Act
- Meetings
- Records
Meetings
- What Constitutes a Meeting?
- Public Fora, Political Meetings
- How Many Members Does It Take to Make a Meeting?
- Two Kinds of Session
- Electronic Participation
- Closed Session Reasons
Public Records
- All Records Belong to the Public. the Law Has a Host of Exceptions
- Response to Request
- Charging for Records
- FOIA Council
- When Push Comes to Shove - Litigation
Speakers
Mark K. Flynn, Esq.,
Mark Flynn Legal Services, PLLC- General counsel of the Virginia Municipal League
- Practiced in the areas of taxation of rental properties; tax assessment law; situs issues; taxation of internet-based transactions and collection of taxes by internet-based businesses involved in hotel room reservations
- Served as county attorney in Tazewell and as city attorney for Winchester for 11 years
- Worked in private practice with the Richmond law firm of Sands, Anderson in 1997, specializing in local government and transportation law
- Past president of the Local Government Attorney's Association
- Served on the legislative committee, writer of the VML annual FOIA, COIA Public Records Act booklet and writer of numerous articles in the League’s Virginia Town & City magazine
- Gubernatorial appointee to the Virginia Housing Commission and serves on the Governor's Housing Policy Task Force
- Lobbied on tax policy issues in the Virginia General Assembly for the past 15 years
- J.D. degree, Washington & Lee University Law School; B.S. degree in Forest Management, Virginia Tech
Who Should Attend
This live webinar is designed for public information and records managers and administrators, city managers, mayors, county and municipal officials, law enforcement officials, public relations directors, school administrators, journalists, and attorneys.
