Understand the ins and outs of California's open meetings and open public records and how they can affect you. Are you a reporter, a public information and records manager, city manager, special district, county or municipal official, law enforcement official, attorney or school administrator? Are you uncertain about how the Ralph M. Brown Act and the California Public Records Act laws apply to you? Nearly 60 years ago, when enacting the open...

Learn types of records that must be maintained, time frames for retention, and best practices for implementing an effective records retention policy. Obtaining a government contract or grant can be a lucrative and beneficial endeavor. However, deals between private industry and governments are intensely regulated and as such create a myriad of issues that are unique to public contract law. One of the many compliance issues faced by contractors...

Understand public records and open meetings law in Texas so you can stay compliant and use them to your advantage. As a governmental entity, you are required to comply with the Texas Public Information Act (TPIA) and the Texas Open Meetings Act (TOMA). However, many governmental entities do not understand the requirements of the TPIA and TOMA and are likely at risk for noncompliance. This topic provides a broad overview of the TPIA and helps t...

Understand the applicable disclosure regulations and standards that apply to recipients of federal relief funds. Over the past several years, the federal government has required contractors and grant recipients to disclose various noncompliance to the awarding agency or face stiff consequences. These requirements have caused significant unease and tension between the contractor/grant recipient community and the federal government. For this top...

Find out how to properly track applicant data to avoid costly and damaging discrimination findings.Federal contractors and subcontractors are required to track applicant data for their affirmative action plans. However, even companies who properly track applicant data treat the process as a purely recordkeeping exercise. Failure to maintain proper and robust information regarding applicant disposition is the most common error employers can ma...

Understand how to make sense of the myriad of requirements of the public records and public meetings laws in Washington. The public records and public meetings laws provide multiple challenges to local government agencies. The agency must provide training on an ongoing basis to protect taxpayers from daily penalties and legal fees, and to reduce the amount of the daily penalty if a record is inadvertently withheld. The public meetings laws red...

Understand the scope of Wisconsin's Public Records and Open Meeting Laws and get to the information you desire. State and local government impacts everyone's lives. Wisconsin's Public Records Law and Open Meetings Law are designed to allow the public to obtain "the greatest possible information regarding the affairs of government," yet many people, private individuals and governmental officers and employees alike frequently misunderstand the s...

Gain a refresher on Pennsylvania's Right-to-Know Law. Decrease time and expense when responding to requests. The Right-to-Know Law has impacted every Commonwealth and local agency since passage in 2009. The law requires agencies to promptly respond to requests for public records, and gives requesters administrative and judicial remedies if agencies fail to comply. This topic is designed to inform agencies how to reduce time and expense in resp...

Keep your company compliant and get the latest information on Tennessee Employment law. Tennessee state and federal laws have changed. The Tennessee Human Rights Act has been amended and the attorney general has weighed in on some employment law issues. Tennessee state and federal courts have also been making decisions that may affect day-to-day operations for some companies. Human resource professionals need to know the latest updates in orde...

Be prepared for an inspection and know your reporting requirements to avoid costly penalties. In today's business world, we all wear many hats and business owners, managers, engineering, and line personnel often become responsible for matters that they have little practical experience /training or do only occasionally. This includes organizing and participating in company mandated environmental inspections or audits as well as working effectiv...