by Michael Tilley (mtilley@talkbusiness.net)
The struggle continues in the Arkansas Senate to come up with proposed Freedom of Information Act changes that will placate Gov. Sarah Sanders on one side and FOIA advocates on the other.
That struggle included a more than five-hour Senate committee hearing Tuesday (Sept. 12) on a new bill that had minor changes compared with the original proposal that was pulled Monday after public opposition caused some legislators to withdraw support.
Gov. Sarah Sanders wanted a bill that would change FOIA provisions by including the federal exemption that would significantly limit the information available about the deliberations of officials at state agencies, recommendations about policy, and other governance matters. The original bill would also exempt from FOIA any records about “planning or provision of security services provided to the Governor, the Lieutenant Governor, the Attorney General, the Secretary of State, the Auditor of State, the Treasurer of State, the Commissioner of State Lands, members of the General Assembly, Justices of the Supreme Court, or Judges of the Court of Appeals.”
Sen. Bart Hester, R-Cave Springs and Senate president, presents SB 9 to the State Agencies and Governmental Affairs Committee.