Public Records Directory Blog

In California, a database providing information about convicted domestic violence offenders could soon become a reality. On April 9, 2008, the California State Assembly Public Safety Committee approved legislation to create such a database. The Bill, AB 1771 was introduced in January by Assembly Member Ma. The Bill, also known by many as the “domestic violence database bill,” requires the Attorney General to “develop an Internet Web site that is available to the public that contains certain information about persons who have been convicted of at least one felony domestic violence offense or at least two misdemeanor domestic violence offenses.”

The database would house the name, date of birth, county and date of conviction for the offenders. The Bill also requires information to remain on the database for at least 10 years. Information about convicted domestic violence offenders is already available to be viewed by the public; however, this database would make the information easier to access.

The hope is that this domestic violence database will arm people with useful information to prevent them from potentially entering into abusive relationships. Similarly, sex offender websites, while controversial, provide a sense of security for many Americans today, and perhaps a domestic violence offender database can create the same affect.

Citizens of Ohio, are you taking advantage of the information available to you through Ohio’s Public Records laws? These laws were created to provide any interested parties with access to inspect and copy the records of the public offices of Ohio (O.R.C. 149.43). This might sound good, but what does it really mean for you?

Legislation can be wordy and confusing to everyday people, and as a result, many may never take full advantage of all the rights afforded to them. Fortunately, in addition to granting the general public with access to records, the Ohio’s Public Records laws also require the Attorney General’s Office to provide 3 hours of training for all elected officials. O.R.C 109.43 further adds that members of the general public are permitted to attend these trainings. The training requirement is relatively new, and came into effect on September 29, 2007 from House Bill 9. The purpose of this training is to review the Public Records laws, “to enhance the officials’ knowledge of the duty to provide access to public records,” and to provide elected officials and/or their staff with knowledge to implement appropriate public records policies for their offices. This is a great way for everyday people to know exactly what their elected officials know about this law, it’s impact, and the rights it bestows on the public.

Some private companies may charge a registration fee for such trainings, but all trainings presented by the Attorney General’s office are required by law to be free of charge. At least one day per week, the Attorney General office provides the training seminars in a new Ohio city. Registration is quick, easy, and free! Check here for a calendar of available training sessions and for registration.

Reviewing the financial transactions of your state government requires just a few clicks on your computer in some states. As tax payers, we spend a lot of money each year, and some of us may want to know what that money is going towards. While the FOIA (Freedom of Information Act) has helped open the gateway to making certain information public and accessible, actually finding these spending records could be a difficult task. Thus in some states, the governments have decided to implement databases which make the search process easier for the public.

Recently Kansas launched a state spending database called KanView. On the KanView page it introduces the services as an “online solution that brings better visibility, openness, and accessibility to state government financial activity for Kansas taxpayers.” Although this information was available for public viewing before KanView, the new solution makes provides an easier way to review how the Kansas government spends tax payer money on education, social services, transportation, etc.

Kansas isn’t the only state to tackle the task of making government spending records easily accessible. States such as Hawaii, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, New York, Oklahoma, South Carolina and Texas also have database spending records. Additionally, the Maryland legislature is in the processes of approving a similar database.

State spending databases can be found on the government website for the state. For example, KanView can be found on the site www.Kansas.gov.�

Unfortunately, in today’s economy, dozens of homes are going into foreclosure everyday. As a result, there is a lot of interest in finding foreclosure records. If you go online and Google “foreclosures” there are dozens of sites claiming to provide free foreclose listings but which actually charge a fee for their service. You may wish to use a paid for service to locate foreclosure listings, but there are other methods to find foreclosed properties for free.

There are two different types of foreclosures: tax lien foreclosures and mortgage foreclosures. In mortgage foreclosures, a homeowner is unable to make principle or interest payments on their mortgage, and the lender seizes the property and sells it. Also, a mortgage foreclosure can occur as a judicial foreclosure or as a non-judicial foreclosure. Non-judicial foreclosures are typically conducted out of court by a private trustee of the lender. The trustee is required by law to provide the homeowner notice of the default and is also required to advertise the sale of the foreclosed property. However, it is difficult to find listings of these types of foreclosures without paying a fee, because the proceeding is conducted by a private party. Conversely, because judicial foreclosures are conducted through a court proceeding, the foreclosure listings can be found on most county websites. For example, in Alachua County in Florida, foreclosure listings are managed by the Clerk of the Court who provides a full list online.

Information regarding tax lien foreclosures is also managed by the county in which the property is located. Tax lien foreclosures occur when a homeowner is delinquent on their home taxes so the county sells the home. In most counties across the U.S., property sales through tax lien foreclosures only occur one month per year. In King County, Washington, the sale occurs in December. In El Paso County in Colorado, tax lien sales are held in October. Check with the Treasurer’s Department of the specific county to determine exactly when the tax lien foreclosure sale begins. The counties will generally provide a list of properties in foreclosure at least 6 months prior to the sale. For tax lien foreclosures, the homeowner has up until the day of the sale to pay off their debt, so the list may change frequently.�