Commentary

Tallahassee, Fla. – Americans for Prosperity-Florida (AFP-FL) today issued the following statement after the House Commerce Committee passed House Bill 5, legislation that would eliminate funds for the Enterprise Florida program and transfer certain programs to the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity (FL-DEO). “The state of Florida has a compelling duty to ensure that taxpayer […]

This post was written by Daniel Schuman for Americans for Prosperity Foundation’s 2023 Sunshine Week essay series on how government transparency and the Freedom of Information Act have transformed society. The Freedom of Information Act is a cornerstone of an open and accountable government. It is time for that law to be extended to legislative branch […]

This post was written by Bernard W. Bell for Americans for Prosperity Foundation’s 2023 Sunshine Week essay series on how government transparency and the Freedom of Information Act have transformed society. The Freedom of Information Act has had transformational impacts. This short essay focuses on one — FOIA’s invigoration of public interest groups. Elections play a […]

This post was written by Lauren Harper for Americans for Prosperity Foundation’s 2023 Sunshine Week essay series on how government transparency and the Freedom of Information Act have transformed society. Successful declassification initiatives play an outsized role in promoting America’s foreign policy objectives. The reverse is also true; overclassification undermines both critical national security and democratic […]

Lansing, Michigan—Today the Michigan Senate voted to repeal the state’s landmark Right-to-Work law. The bill to repeal Right to Work now goes to Governor Gretchen Whitmer who has promised to sign the bill repealing the popular law. Americans for Prosperity-Michigan (AFP-MI) organized activists to protest the repeal. The group printed and handed out 150,000 pink […]

This post was written by David Cuillier for Americans for Prosperity Foundation’s 2023 Sunshine Week essay series on how government transparency and the Freedom of Information Act have transformed society. The Freedom of Information Act’s failure is its greatest success.  To be sure, FOIA has done some good. Transparency laws and practices reduce corruption, lead […]

This post was written by Anne Weismann for Americans for Prosperity Foundation’s 2023 Sunshine Week essay series on how government transparency and the Freedom of Information Act have transformed society. Conceptionally, the Freedom of Information Act represents a valuable tool to advance democracy through the disinfectant of transparency. A statute that imposes on agencies a […]

This article was coauthored by James Valvo for Americans for Prosperity Foundation’s 2023 Sunshine Week essay series on how government transparency and the Freedom of Information Act have transformed society.  The Freedom of Information Act is the first modern law to guarantee a right of public access to government records upon request. The importance of […]