The meeting was at Wood-n-Tap, 99 Sisson Ave., Hartford.
Present: Mike Savino, Liz Gemski, Jeff Daniels, Michele Jacklin, Gary Gold, Mary Connolly, Tom Scheffey, George Lombardi, Colleen Murphy, Steve Nevas.
The minutes of the March 20, 2019 meeting were accepted.
Treasurer’s report: Lombardi reported a balance of $6,071.10.
Legislative report: CCFOI is following several proposals that would impede government transparency, including legislation that would allow a fee structure for when a person takes a photo of a public document with a camera or cell phone or uses a hand-held scanner. There also was discussion of legislation that would address the problem of “dual arrests,” when a police officer arrests both people involved in a reported case of domestic violence, opting to decide later which person is the victim. Since a victim’s name is not made public, police redact more information in such situations.
Annual meeting: It will be June 19, starting at 11:30 a.m., at Pond House Café, 1555 Asylum Ave., West Hartford. Anyone with nominations for our annual awards should email Savino. The Bice Clemow award honors a nonjournalist who contributed to the cause of open government. The Stephen A. Collins award goes to a journalist. The Champion of Open Government award goes to a journalist or nonjournalist.
Looking ahead: The next CCFOI meeting will be May 15 at noon at Wood-n-Tap.