Author Archives: Amit Kumar

About Amit Kumar

Reporter Intern at TheNerve.org

Lawmaker Aims to Strengthen State’s Open Government Law

Posted on February 10, 2012 by Amit Kumar

South Carolina’s Freedom of Information Act may soon be getting more enforcement teeth. A bill that passed through a House subcommittee Wednesday allows state and local entities to charge only copy fees for an FOIA request, disallows search fees for … Continue reading →

Posted in Accountability, Legislation, Transparency | Tagged Alberta Wasden, Kim Murphy, Rep. Bill Taylor, Rep. Seth Whipper, S.C. Freedom of Information Act | 3 Comments

Changes and Evaluation Likely Coming to Lt. Governor’s Office

Posted on January 20, 2012 by Amit Kumar

A proposal that has passed the S.C. House would change the election and responsibilities of the state’s lieutenant governor at the same time lawmakers are questioning the effectiveness of a state office that has faced much controversy in recent years. … Continue reading →

Posted in General Assembly, Legislation, Other Funds, Transparency | Tagged Andre Bauer, Ken Ard, Rep. Jim Merrill, Rep. Tom Young, Sen. Larry Martin | Leave a comment

As Tuition at S.C. Universities Increases, So Does Administrator Pay

Posted on November 30, 2011 by Amit Kumar

We’ve all heard it before: Tuition at South Carolina’s public universities and colleges is rising; state appropriations for higher education are falling; and it’s something that has been going on for years. There is, however, at least one budgetary commitment … Continue reading →

Posted in Higher Education, Other Funds | Tagged Clemson University, College of Charleston, George Benson, Harris Pastides, James Barker, Kendra Stewart, Sen. Robert Ford, Sen. Wes Hayes, University of South Carolina | 1 Comment

Can S.C.’s FOIA Law Be Strengthened?

Posted on October 20, 2011 by Amit Kumar

A state legislator wants to toughen South Carolina’s loophole-riddled open records law, but a bill he introduced this year to fix those problems has gone nowhere, languishing since being referred to the House Judiciary Committee in mid-January. Rep. Bill Taylor, … Continue reading →

Posted in Accountability, Legislation, Transparency | Tagged Alan Peterson, Rep. Bill Taylor, Rep. James Smith, S.C. Department of Commerce, S.C. Freedom of Information Act | 2 Comments

Commerce, DMV: Information is Power, and It’ll Cost You, Too

Posted on October 19, 2011 by Amit Kumar

Loose enforcement mechanisms in South Carolina’s Freedom of Information Act have allowed the state Department of Commerce to wait dozens of days and charge hundreds of dollars in response to requests to release public records, a review by The Nerve … Continue reading →

Posted in Accountability, Legislation, Transparency | Tagged Beth Parks, Jay Bender, Karen Manning, Open government, Patricia O'Connor, S.C. Department of Commerce, S.C. Department of Motor Vehicles, S.C. Freedom of Information Act | 5 Comments