Iowa open records, meetings laws to be reviewed
By Charlotte Eby, Journal Des Moines Bureau | Posted: Thursday, August 30, 2007
DES MOINES -- A group of Iowa lawmakers is set to review the state's open records and open meetings laws after a string of accusations that Iowa government entities are violating those laws.
DES MOINES -- A group of Iowa lawmakers is set to review the state's open records and open meetings laws after a string of accusations that Iowa government entities are violating those laws.
Rep. Pam Jochum, D-Dubuque, has been one of the Legislature's most vocal members on the issue of Iowa's so-called sunshine laws.
"There's far too many local governments, and state government for that matter, that seem not to be adhering to the spirit or letter of the law anymore," Jochum said.
She believes one of the most egregious examples is what happened in the eastern Iowa town of Riverdale.
Citizens there questioned spending by the Riverdale fire department, but were turned down when they asked to view public records. They successfully sued to get access to those records and were at State Capitol this year to talk about their experience.
"The public has a right to know what their government is doing and how we're spending their money," Jochum said.
Rep. Vicki Lensing, D-Iowa City, is co-chairing a special legislative committee that will meet Sept. 6 to review the laws.
She notes that other forms of communication, including text messages and e-mails, didn't exist when Iowa's open records laws were written decades ago.
"As time has gone on, we have put Band-Aids on it, and I think it's just to the point now we need to look at the whole thing," Lensing said.
Kathleen Richardson, executive secretary of the Iowa Freedom of Information Council, said the group has identified continuing problems in Iowa.
Those problems include what she believes is the increasing secrecy surrounding the hiring of public employees, as government entities keep the names of candidates private and hold interviews behind closed doors.
Some have criticized the Iowa Board of Regents for conducting parts of its recent search for a new University of Iowa president in private.
Richardson also points to lack of enforcement of the laws by local county attorneys and the Iowa Attorney General's office.
"The citizens really in Iowa have no recourse except to sue," Richardson said.
Charlotte Eby can be reached at (515) 243-0138 or chareby@aol.com.
DES MOINES -- A group of Iowa lawmakers is set to review the state's open records and open meetings laws after a string of accusations that Iowa government entities are violating those laws.
Rep. Pam Jochum, D-Dubuque, has been one of the Legislature's most vocal members on the issue of Iowa's so-called sunshine laws.
"There's far too many local governments, and state government for that matter, that seem not to be adhering to the spirit or letter of the law anymore," Jochum said.
She believes one of the most egregious examples is what happened in the eastern Iowa town of Riverdale.
Citizens there questioned spending by the Riverdale fire department, but were turned down when they asked to view public records. They successfully sued to get access to those records and were at State Capitol this year to talk about their experience.
"The public has a right to know what their government is doing and how we're spending their money," Jochum said.
Rep. Vicki Lensing, D-Iowa City, is co-chairing a special legislative committee that will meet Sept. 6 to review the laws.
She notes that other forms of communication, including text messages and e-mails, didn't exist when Iowa's open records laws were written decades ago.
"As time has gone on, we have put Band-Aids on it, and I think it's just to the point now we need to look at the whole thing," Lensing said.
Kathleen Richardson, executive secretary of the Iowa Freedom of Information Council, said the group has identified continuing problems in Iowa.
Those problems include what she believes is the increasing secrecy surrounding the hiring of public employees, as government entities keep the names of candidates private and hold interviews behind closed doors.
Some have criticized the Iowa Board of Regents for conducting parts of its recent search for a new University of Iowa president in private.
Richardson also points to lack of enforcement of the laws by local county attorneys and the Iowa Attorney General's office.
"The citizens really in Iowa have no recourse except to sue," Richardson said.
Charlotte Eby can be reached at (515) 243-0138 or chareby@aol.com.
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days of our lives wrote on Aug 31, 2007 7:02 PM: