The meeting was via Zoom.
Present: Mike Savino, Michele Jacklin, Mary Connolly, Jeff Daniels, Gary Gold, Liz Gemski, Tom Scheffey, Paula Pearlman, Chris Powell, Mitch Pearlman.
The minutes of the Nov. 17, 2021 meeting were accepted.
Treasurer’s report: Phillips reports a balance of $14,310.45.
Legislative report: Gemski reported the agency proposals are not yet available. Proposals on juvenile crime issues are expected and CCFOI will want to be involved, especially on transparency. We also will be following any proposals on hand-held scanners and the use of algorithms.
Forum on algorithms: Plans were dropped to have this forum in January. Legislation is not expected on algorithms during the 2022 session, a short session this year and an election year. We will concentrate on educational efforts, since the use of algorithms in public policy is largely unknown or not understood. The study by Yale Law School students on algorithmic accountability will be released in January and will be a starting point for public discussion. A requested report by the Office of Legislative Research will take many months.
2022 CCFOI legislative agenda: It was agreed our priorities will be juvenile justice transparency, local government transparency in virtual meetings, and opposing the use of state labor contracts to override the FOI law.
The Stories Behind the Biggest Stories of 2021: Theevent sponsored by the Connecticut Foundation for Open Government will be, via Zoom, on Monday, Jan. 31 from 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. The event is free but registration is required. Visit https://bit.ly/SBTBS21.
Looking ahead: The next CCFOI meeting will be Jan. 19, 2022 at noon, via Zoom.