American Oversight Condemns Louisiana HB 461 as Another Attempt to Erode Access to Public Records
The bill, which passed the Louisiana House on Thursday, would significantly weaken the state’s public records law by extending the ability of local governments to suppress records of business dealings.
American Oversight released the following statement regarding Louisiana HB 461, which passed the Louisiana House today. If enacted, it would give local government officials the power to shield from public disclosure records related to business or economic development negotiations.
Statement from American Oversight Interim Executive Director Chioma Chukwu:
“We’ve seen a disturbing trend of states across the country attempting to chip away at the public’s right to information and documents, and this bill is no exception. It provides politicians an alarming amount of leeway to conceal negotiations about business deals — paid for with taxpayer dollars — until those deals are finalized.
“The people of Louisiana have a right to know how their government is operating, and we condemn this effort to weaken Louisiana’s Public Records Law by giving local officials power to declare vital public documents confidential.”
The bill, introduced by state Rep. Steven Jackson, would exempt records related to local and parish economic development projects from the Louisiana Public Records Law if a local mayor, parish president, or chief executive officer determines their release would have a “detrimental effect” on the negotiation.
Louisiana is not alone in recent attempts to roll back access to public records. Utah passed a bill earlier this year removing public and elected officials’ calendars from the public record.
One of the worst offenders is Florida, a state with a long-held commitment to transparency, where Gov. Ron DeSantis and the state legislature have drastically altered the state’s rules. DeSantis has employed a questionably broad level of executive privilege and helped pass a law shielding his travel records from the public.
In Kentucky, legislators recently introduced a bill that would redefine what constitutes a public record, after having made changes to the state’s public record law in 2021.
Last year, Arizona’s legislature implemented rule changes that instruct lawmakers to delete communications, thus allowing them to avoid releasing documents under the state’s public records law. And North Carolina’s General Assembly tucked a sweeping change to the state’s public records law into last year’s state budget.