You are browsing the archives of May 2009.

The political scandal currently unfolding in Britain, in which numerous Members of Parliament have secretly billed taxpayers for reimbursement of their personal expenses, highlights the different approaches to Freedom of Information laws on opposite sides of the Atlantic. And interestingly, these records might not have been made public were it not for the efforts of an American journalist.

Business owners can use public records requests to learn typically hard-to-find details about their competitors’ prices and business practices by requesting contracts and purchase orders whenever a competitor does business with a government agency (municipal, county, state or federal).

In our last blog entry, we discussed how to research such lobbying activity - here we will cover how to learn the results of those lobbying efforts. Continue reading for several search methods to determine whether a lobbyist’s efforts secured government money for their client.

The Senate Office of Public Records’ Lobbying Disclosure Act Database provides useful tools for searching through federal lobbyist filings to learn which companies and organizations have contracted lobbyists to advance their legislative interests or seek federal funding.

Making public record requests to different states requires good preparation and knowledge of the process, as each state has its own laws regulating the release of public records. The Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press’ Open Government Guide is a resource that can help whenever you need to make a request to an out-of-state agency.

One easy public records request that prospective homeowners and tenants can do to protect themselves is to contact the local police station and request a log for all 911 calls to the specific residence or apartment complex.