Governor vetoes open records bill shielding lawmakers sfgate.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from sfgate.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Open records bill shielding lawmakers wins final passage
BRUCE SCHREINER, Associated Press
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FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) Kentucky lawmakers finished work Friday on a bill seen by critics as weakening open records protections by taking steps aimed at removing the right to pursue a court appeal when denied access to legislative records.
Soon after the bill won 70-26 final passage in the Republican-dominated House, an open records advocacy group said it would urge Democratic Gov. Andy Beshear to veto the legislation.
When asked to comment on the bill after the House vote, Beshear spokeswoman Crystal Staley said the governor wants to see “more transparency in government, not less.”
The Kentucky General Assembly Edward Crim
FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) â Kentucky lawmakers made changes Wednesday to a measure denounced by many media outlets as an attempt to weaken the open records law. An open government advocate said the improvements still leave potential problems for some in gaining access to public records.
A Senate committee advanced the House-passed measure after amending it, sending it to the full Senate. The panel loosened residency requirements in order to make records requests. Another key change allows continued access to Kentucky public records by out-of-state media organizations.
But other sections of the bill remained unchanged. It still gives lawmakers the ability to deny requests for legislative records without risk of a court appeal â essentially giving the legislature the last word. It also still increases the time for agencies to turn over public records, from three to five days.
IN OUR VIEW: Threat to open records dailyindependent.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from dailyindependent.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Kentucky lawmakers made changes Wednesday to a measure denounced by many media outlets as an attempt to weaken the open records law. An open government advocate said the improvements still leave potential problems for some in gaining access to public records.