The Kentucky Open Government Coalition today sent a letter opposing HB 312 to all members of the Kentucky Senate. The letter is co-signed by 34 organizations and individuals opposing the bill. If enacted, HB 312 will make "unneeded and unwanted" changes to the 45 year old Open Records Act.

The letter identifies five major objections to HB 312, including the process by which it passed out of the House in two days.

We object to the residency requirement; the mandatory use of a standardized open records request form; the ineffective approach to mandatory public agency acceptance of emailed open records requests; the decision to make denials of open records request by the Legislative Research Commission "final and unappealable;" and the new "litigation" exception to the Open Records Act.

We call for greater transparency in the legislative process, reminding Senators that "transparency is foundational to a government of the people, by the people, and for the people."

The full letter is attached.

https://documentcloud.adobe.com/link/review?uri=urn:aaid:scds:US:ea98da…