Image Credit: TN General Assembly
The Tennessee Conservative [By Olivia Lupia] –
After receiving considerable pushback from constituents, Representative Rebecca Alexander (R- Jonesborough-District 7) has announced intentions to withdraw a bill that would have increased fees for Tennesseans requesting to examine public records.
The Tennessee Public Records Act allows any state resident to inspect public records at no cost, with public entities allowed to charge only “reasonable” fees for tasks like labor for retrieving or redacting information, for legal opinions about whether a record may be exempt from release, or preparing paper or digital copies if requested by the individual.
HB2500/SB2540 would have revised these provisions to allow for charges to be applied to a citizen who simply wanted to view the records.
Local journalists with the Patriot Punk Network gave an example of the consequences of such a bill, detailing not just the undue financial burden this would place on citizens and news organizations seeking access to these records but how it would prevent governmental oversight and accountability.
The post gives the hefty financial breakdowns for several requests the outlet has made under the current law under “reasonable” costs, including over $1,500 for case files from one case at one law enforcement office, $800 to review one employee’s expense reports at Tennessee Tech, and over $600 to get emails in Rutherford County that were “mostly inflated with spam junk mail”.
Under HB2500, those costs would increase exponentially, further alienating the public or local outlets from accessing information or being involved in local cases.
“That means only wealthy or well-funded organizations would ever be able to be a watch dog on government. This would prevent most citizens from ever getting involved,” Patriot Punk Network wrote. “These legislators are either too dumb to understand the oversight this bill would prevent, or they are willfully complicit in the hiding of public corruption- and it’s my experience very few politicians are simultaneously smart enough to get elected by too dumb to figure this out.”
Fortunately, Rep. Alexander has announced she will be withdrawing the legislation after receiving feedback from constituents in Washington County.
“After careful consideration and thoughtful feedback from constituents across Washington County, I have decided to withdraw House Bill 2500. I sincerely appreciate everyone who took the time to share their ideas and engage in this important discussion.
Transparency and accountability are fundamental to a healthy representative republic. I remain firmly committed to ensuring our government is accessible and will continue working with my colleagues to ensure government is working at the greatest efficiency for the people it serves,” said Alexander’s official statement.
Deborah Fisher, Executive Director of the Tennessee Coalition of Open Government applauded the decision, saying she is “glad this bill is going to be pulled because it really would have shut down access to public records to anyone who couldn’t afford whatever price the government put on the records.”
As of this writing, HB2500 shows that sponsors have been changed and removed, but the bill has not yet been officially withdrawn. The Senate companion, SB2540 is also still active, though it has not been assigned a date before the Senate State and Local Government Committee.
About the Author: Olivia Lupia is a political refugee from Colorado who now calls Tennessee home. A proud follower of Christ, she views all political happenings through a Biblical lens and aims to utilize her knowledge and experience to educate and equip others. Olivia is an outspoken conservative who has run for local office, managed campaigns, and been highly involved with state & local GOPs, state legislatures, and other grassroots organizations and movements. Olivia can be reached at olivia@tennesseeconservativenews.com.
