Your generosity and enthusiasm for transparency have helped make FOG’s 25th-anniversary year a tremendous success. FOG fights for your right to know throughout New Mexico, and we do it on an annual budget of just over $100,000, with only our full-time executive director, Susan Boe; our part-time membership director, Shannon Kunkel; and our panel of dedicated volunteer attorneys and our actively engaged board of directors. This year has been particularly busy for FOG!

FOG was at the Roundhouse every day during session:
pushing back efforts to water down the Inspection of Records Act
lobbying for a bill to give citizens the right to speak at public meetings
supporting a bill to add state contracts to the sunshine portal
speaking out for expanded lobbyist disclosure and campaign finance information on the Secretary of State website
testifying at hearings against a bill that would shelter disciplinary reports against public employees

FOG questioned the Interstate Stream Commission’s transparency practices about diverting the Gila River, leading to the release of a previously secret spreadsheet;

FOG filed a friend of court brief with the Court of Appeals against secret subcommittees which settled million-dollar cases behind closed doors;

FOG spoke out when the Governor tried to avoid the 72-hour notice requirement of the Open Meetings Act when appointing a senator to replace Phil Griego;

Two years after the FOG lawsuit against the Department of Health to make public its secret behavioral health care audit, the Attorney General released the full report;

FOG is suing the Department of Health to make public the names of all licensed medical marijuana producers. The Department of Health now is revising its regulations so those names no longer will be kept secret;

FOG answered more than 500 calls to its free hotline, helping citizens, the press and even public officials shine a light on government misconduct;

FOG spoke throughout the state on open meetings and public records issues, sponsored the state’s only continuing legal education program on transparency and currently is building an online training module to teach the public and public officials about OMA and IPRA laws;

FOG celebrated freedom of the press at events in Santa Fe and in Albuquerque, allowing proponents to wave the flag for the First Amendment;

FOG is in the news every week in media outlets throughout the state, speaking out for transparency, chastising public and elected officials who ignore open meetings and records laws and supporting the efforts of citizens who want to hold government accountable;

FOG conducted audits of city and county websites, highlighting best practices and suggesting changes to public websites, which would increase public engagement.

As we head into 2016 with the upcoming legislative session and elections later in the year, we will need your ongoing support to continue accomplishing our mission – defending your right to know.

Make a gift to FOG today!