Public Records Act under attack

Several bills before the Legislature this session all seek to weaken in some way the state’s model Public Records Act, and therefore, the entire state.

One of the most egregious, HB 1349, is scheduled for a hearing Thursday afternoon before the House of Representatives’ State Government Committee, on which 12th District Rep. Brad Hawkins sits.

The bill purportedly seeks to protect corrections workers, but does so in a way that would basically make the state’s Public Records Act ineffective for many legitimate and beneficial uses, including basic research for public policy issues and the necessary journalism that informs public debate.

Journalists, or any researchers, who, in seeking to understand an issue, gather public records and then find names of people who can speak to that issue, would violate the proposed law. This is a commonly used tool that helps us put a human face on an issue in public discussion to help everyone understand sometimes complex issues from the perspective of those affected.

The bill would stop legitimate analysis of issues and proposals of public policy by not only providing for fines if researchers compare records to other databases, but also by opening the door to frivolous lawsuits based on suspicion that researchers used the information in that way. In other words, the law would support the side of anyone who doesn’t want information out to inform the debate.

If corrections workers are in need of protection, and current laws against stalking, etc. aren’t enough to do that, then someone should come up with a bill to do so directly without gutting the valuable public policy that is the Public Records Act, which has served this state very well for decades.

Scott Hunter

editor and publisher