NEW ORLEANS — In your Breakdown: news organizations and information gatherers are sounding the alarm on bills aimed at stripping your access to most public records.
Senate Bill 482 – backed by Governor Jeff Landry – looks to implement:
“…exception to the public records law of any records involving opinions, recommendations, and deliberations in formulating decisions or policies; and to provide for related matters.”
Monday, the Louisiana Public Affairs Research Council, which is independent and typically does not offer commentary on legislation, called the arguments in favor of this bill, “hogwash.”
They wrote the bill is, quote: “…so broadly written it could comprise nearly every record in government at every level, from the governor’s office to local library systems.”
Our Paul Murphy dove into this bill with our WWL Louisiana Investigators.
And SB482 is not the only bill that aims to restrict access to public records. SB502 would allow record-keepers to ask for a Louisiana photo ID to hand over records, but there are concerns.
This could restrict regional or national journalists from looking into stories with Louisiana ties, prevent insurance companies from requesting information about car crashes, and impact out-of-state companies bidding for jobs, visitors, remote workers, college students, and mortgage companies. It could even stonewall people like Bob Arthur, a Missouri man who sought public records about his son’s homicide in Jefferson Parish.
The author, Senator Blake Miguez, says the goal is prevent ‘spam requests’ from AI. He said he’s open to improving the bill, but committee passed it as-is.
Both of these public records bills are heading to the full Senate for final passage.
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