Thread by @weareoversight

Public records laws are incredible tools that advance transparency and accountability.

Unfortunately, some state governments are challenging sunshine laws.

Here are some of the biggest threats to government transparency. #FoiaFriday

A bill advancing in the Missouri Senate would rewrite the state’s Sunshine Law to severely limit what kind of information members of the public can obtain regarding the activities of legislators — allowing lawmakers to block the release of previously available records.

Just five years ago, Missourians voted overwhelmingly to require transparency from their state legislature. Now, lawmakers are trying to turn back the clock.
americanoversight.org/the-show-me-no…

If signed into law, the bill would make Missouri the second state this year to severely restrict public access to legislative records. In late January, the Arizona legislature adopted rule changes that largely exempted lawmakers from that state’s transparency laws.

Under the new rules in Arizona, email correspondence sent or received by lawmakers and staff will be deleted after 90 days unless it is actively retained because of ongoing or prospective administrative or legal proceedings.
azcentral.com/story/news/pol…

The Arizona Senate’s rule goes a step further and says that any message related to official business that sent or received on private devices “is not subject to public inspection” — a flagrant public records loophole.
americanoversight.org/american-overs…

This rule change abets government secrecy by virtually mandating the destruction of records that belong to the people of Arizona. These rules would have prevented the public from learning the full truth about the AZ Senate’s partisan election audit.

Earlier this year, a Tallahassee judge ruled that Florida Gov. DeSantis has “executive privilege” — something not mentioned in state law or the constitution — that shields him from being required to release records. This decision is being appealed.
tampabay.com/news/florida-p…

Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s administration has used broad exemptions to shield public records from release. We’ve sued Youngkin to challenge this tactic.
vpm.org/news/2023-01-2…

These are just some of the ongoing threats to the public’s access to records. Learn more about how we’re fighting to pry records loose here:
americanoversight.org/investigations