Sunshine Week legislative wrap-up
We’re almost halfway finished with this year’s state legislative session, so here’s the latest on pending bills that concern open records and freedom of information:
DATES OF BIRTH
AT STAKE: Senate Bill 1753 exempts public employee dates of birth from the Open Records Act; dates of birth of public workers are now presumed open.
WHERE IT STANDS: Passed the Senate, 44-0.
WHAT’S NEXT: Awaiting hearing in House Appropriations and Budget Committee.
AUTHORS: Sen. Debbe Leftwich, D-Oklahoma City, and Rep. Randy Terrill, R-Moore.
HIGHWAY PATROL VIDEOS
AT STAKE: House Bill 3382 makes audio and video recordings taken from Oklahoma Highway Patrol cruisers public records in certain situations.
WHERE IT STANDS: Passed the House, 96-0.
WHAT’S NEXT: Awaiting hearing in Senate Appropriations Committee.
AUTHORS: Rep. Randy Terrill, R-Moore, and Sen. Anthony Sykes, R-Moore.
AUTOPSY REPORTS
AT STAKE: House Bill 3155 lets district attorneys decide whether autopsy reports should be made public; autopsy reports are now open records.
WHERE IT STANDS: Passed the House, 86-7.
WHAT’S NEXT: Awaiting hearing in Senate Health and Human Services Committee.
AUTHORS: Rep. Leslie Osborn, R-Tuttle, and Sen. Ron Justice, R-Chickasha.
OPEN BOOKS 2.0
AT STAKE: House Bill 3422 improves the state’s Open Books Web site by requiring all purchases made with state funds be disclosed there as individual expenses rather than lump sums.
WHERE IT STANDS: Passed the House, 94-0.
WHAT’S NEXT: Awaiting hearing in Senate general government and transportation subcommittee.
AUTHORS: Rep. Ken Miller, R-Edmond, and Sen. Clark Jolley, R-Edmond.
FILM, MUSIC RECORDS
AT STAKE: Senate Bill 1351 exempts certain aspects of film proposals submitted to the Oklahoma Film and Music Office from the Open Records Act; the records are now open.
WHERE IT STANDS: Passed the Senate, 41-3.
WHAT’S NEXT: Awaiting hearing in House International Relations and Tourism Committee.
AUTHORS: Rep. Dale DeWitt, R-Braman, and Sen. David Myers, R-Ponca City.
FELON RECORDS
AT STAKE: Senate Bill 2200 expunges nonviolent felonies from a person’s criminal record if the person does not commit a crime for 10 years.
WHERE IT STANDS: Passed the Senate, 25-20.
WHAT’S NEXT: Awaiting hearing in House Judiciary Committee.
AUTHORS: Sen. Joe Sweeden, D-Pawhuska, and Rep. Dan Sullivan, R-Tulsa.
MUNICIPAL COURT RECORDS
AT STAKE: House Bill 2541 exempts Social Security numbers, credit card numbers and bank account numbers from public municipal court records.
WHERE IT STANDS: Passed the House, 95-1.
WHAT’S NEXT: Awaiting hearing in Senate Judiciary Committee.
AUTHORS: Rep. Marian Cooksey, R-Edmond, and Sen. Clark Jolley, R-Edmond.
HIGH SCHOOL SPORTS
AT STAKE: Senate Bill 1729 would make the Oklahoma Secondary School Activities Association subject to the Open Records Act.
WHERE IT STANDS: Passed the Senate, 41-0.
WHAT’S NEXT: Awaiting hearing in House General Government Committee.
AUTHORS: Sen. Charlie Laster, D-Shawnee, and Rep. Shane Jett, R-Tecumseh.
SCHOOL DISTRICT TRANSPARENCY
AT STAKE: House Bill 3253 opens school district spending data for inclusion on a public Web site administered by the state Department of Education.
WHERE IT STANDS: Passed the House, 96-0.
WHAT’S NEXT: Awaiting action in Senate Appropriations Committee.
AUTHORS: Rep. Gus Blackwell, R-Goodwell, and Sen. Randy Brogdon, R-Owasso.
–COMPILED BY STAFF WRITERS JOHN ESTUS AND PAUL MONIES
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Great round up – much appreciated – let the sun shine in.