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Editorial: Keep public records free, Indiana

Editorial: Keep public records free, Indiana
Posted at 2:35 PM, Apr 25, 2017
and last updated 2017-04-26 07:51:41-04

Indiana Governor Eric Holcomb wielded his veto power for the first time Monday and it was a wise decision.

Holcomb vetoed a bill that would have let state agencies charge fees for fulfilling public records requests.

The bill would have allowed agencies to charge up to $20 an hour for records requests that take longer than two hours to fulfill.

Two hours?

That’s barely enough time to read the request and figure out where the records are stored. So agencies would start charging, and the potential for a hefty fee could chill citizens, including journalists, from seeking the facts about their government’s work.

The fee would likely mean fewer public records requests, so less transparency in state government and, unfortunately, greater potential for Indiana officials to act in secret.

That’s not what Indiana citizens need. They – and all of us – need more transparency now, not less.

But the story is far from over. Anyone who cares about secrecy in government should keep watching and speak up.

State law in Indiana permits a governor’s veto to be overridden with a simple majority vote of both houses of the legislature.

Considering that the bill passed 62 to 25 in the House and 44 to 3 in the Senate, it’s very possible that the governor’s veto will be tossed aside and the bill will become a state law.

That would be a step backward for Indiana.

Its residents deserve more access to their government, not less.

For the record, ALL of southeast Indiana’s legislators voted for the fee. They are: Sen. Jeff Raatz, Sen. Chip Perfect, Sen. James Smith, Rep. Randy Lyness, Rep. Randall Frye and Rep. Cindy Ziemke. They are all Republicans, as is the governor.

The bill’s proponents said that records requests were tying up government workers' time.

One legislator was quoted as saying: “Some people come in and ask for hours and hours of research to be done. We don’t get paid anything for doing that.”

Wait a minute. That’s exactly what you get paid for. To respond to your constituents and carry out the people’s work in public.

Our six southeast Indiana legislators – and the rest of the General Assembly – should remember that when they vote on Holcomb’s veto.

Contact your legislator

Sen. Jeff Raatz:
200 W. Washington St.
Indianapolis, IN 46204
Phone: 800-382-9467
or 317-232-9400
Email: Senator.Raatz@iga.in.gov

Sen. Chip Perfect:
200 W. Washington St.
Indianapolis, IN 46204
Phone: 800-382-9467
or 317-232-9400
Email: Senator.Perfect@iga.in.gov

Sen. James Smith:
200 W. Washington St.
Indianapolis, IN 46204
Phone: 800-382-9467 or 317-232-9400
Email: Senator.Smith@iga.in.gov

Rep. Randy Lyness:
317-234-9380
1-800-382-9841

Rep. Randall Frye
1 (800) 382-9841
200 W Washington St.
Indianapolis IN 46204
Email: H67@iga.in.gov

Rep. Cindy Ziemke
1 (800) 382-9841
200 W Washington St.
Indianapolis IN 46204
Email: H55@iga.in.gov