Louisiana lawmakers limit records exemption
Published 12:05 am Tuesday, June 24, 2008
BATON ROUGE (AP) — The Legislature agreed Monday to limit the ability of the governor’s office to shield records from the public, a last minute compromise between Gov. Bobby Jindal’s administration and the Louisiana Press Association.
The governor’s office has been exempt from the state’s public records law since the law was enacted more than 60 years ago. Contracts and documents that involve spending money are not exempt, however. But the governor’s office exemption extends to more than 60 agencies and commissions that are under its oversight.
The bill by Sen. Ben Nevers, D-Bogalusa, would limit the governor’s public records exemption to take out the agencies and commissions but keep all of the governor’s staff exempt from the records law.