Recent Open Government News from Around the Nation
Posted on Jul 15, 2011 in What's NewUtah: HB477 and Utah’s open government law …
On March 25, 2011, after a special session, Utah Governor Gary R. Herbert repealed a controversial bill that had been passed by the Legislature on March 7 and signed by him on March 8. HB 477 would have changed the state’s Government Records Access and Management Act (GRAMA) to narrow the definition of “public record,” exempt the Legislature from open records requirements, impose new fees for accessing public records, and place upon a requester the burden of proving by a preponderance of evidence that a government record should be disclosed. The bill’s text had been first made public on March 1 and two public hearings on it were held in the final days of the Legislature, where all testifiers except its sponsors had opposed HB 477’s passage. To view the text and legislative history of HB 477, visit the Utah State Legislature site.
Salt Lake Tribune: “Move to dilute GRAMA stirred up hornets’ nest”
Salt Lake Tribune: “Utah lawmakers repeal HB 477”
Salt Lake Tribune: “Records expert: GRAMA strong but worth a review”
Salt Lake Tribune: “Working group considers open records laws”