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Public safety is the justification for a proposal making its way through the Louisiana Legislature that looks to restrict citizens’ access to public records.
As Louisiana Illuminator reports, Sen. Heather Cloud, R-Turkey Creek, fears there would be public unrest if the public were made privy to the state government’s deliberative records—records they can already access.
Senate Bill 482 would create one of the broadest ever public records exemptions for state government. Her proposal would deny access to records “reflecting advisory opinions, recommendations and deliberations comprising part of a process by which governmental decisions and policies are formulated.”
Cloud says citizens may react poorly if exposed to an advisory opinion or deliberations for a decision that has not yet been made.
“If the wrong information or premature information is released before they have finalized a finding … it could be dangerous for the public to get the wrong information,” Cloud says in an interview.
Steven Procopio, president of Public Affairs Research Council of Louisiana, warns that the Louisiana public would be adversely impacted by the bill.
“This bill is broad in scope and sweeping in effect,” Procopio says. “It would eliminate the right to access any records used as part of a governmental decision and would apply to both state and local governments. I cannot discern what benefit this would have for the Louisiana public.”
