Medicare is making its database of claims available to the public to allow assessment of doctors. A court ruling has blocked access to this information for decades. Critics of the release warn that the data could be easily misinterpreted in assessing doctors. -db From KSPR (ABC), December 5, 201, by Joanna Small. Full story
A California appeals court ruled that a man who wanted to find out if he were registered in the Domestic Violence Restraining Order System could not have access under the Information Practices Act of 1977. A judge had earlier ruled that the registry was exempt under the California Public Records Act. -db From the Metropolitan News-Enterprise, December 5, 2011, by a MetNews Staff Writer. Full story
If you’re worried about natural gas pipelines running near your home or business, prepare for a long battle to get key information from California’s Public Utilities Commission. Under a 60-year-old law, vast numbers of documents — including regulatory reports and safety studies — are secret, the San Francisco Chronicle reports. What’s more, PG&E often has the last word on what the public will be able to see. A Chronicle survey shows that most states routinely
After uncovering $60 billion in contractor waste and fraud in Iraq and Afghanistan, the Commission on Wartime Contracting buried its internal records for 20 years. The Commission did release 8 reports and publish recommendations to avoid waste and fraud, but the decision to block access to the internal records and source material prevents the public and nonprofits from building on the work of the Commission, writes Jake Wiens, an investigator for POGO. -db From a
A federal district judge upheld a state law allowing the release of names of those donating $100 or more to political campaigns. The supporters of Proposition 8 banning same-sex marriage in California wanted to withdraw the information claiming that the donors were at risk. Prop. 8 supporters said they had been harassed, vandalized, and received hate mail and death threats. -db From the San Francisco Chronicle, October 22, 2011, by Bob Egelko. Full story