Gov. Eric Holcomb deserves praise for using his veto to prevent fees for access to public records.
The bill would have allowed government officials to charge up to $20 per hour if fulfilling a search request took more than two hours.
Requests taking more than two hours are rare, but Holcomb said that doesn’t make any difference.
Here’s what he said in vetoing the bill:
“While I understand the intent behind the bill to offset the considerable time and expense often devoted to fulfilling public records requests, I view this proposed legislation as contrary to my commitment to providing great government service at a great value for Hoosier taxpayers.
“Providing access to public records is a key part of the work public servants perform and is important from a government transparency standpoint. I do not support policies that create burdensome obstacles to the public gaining access to public documents.”
Holcomb said he did support one element of the bill. It would have required public agencies to provide electronic copies of public records in an electronic format (such as email) if requested.
The Hoosier State Press Association, an organization for Indiana newspapers, also liked the electronic format part of the bill. For that reason, it took supported the entire bill as a compromise, because it saw as a growing trend across the country to charge for records requests.
The HSPA should push for an electronic records law, now that it’s clear that Holcomb, like Gov. Mike Pence before him, will not support fees for public records.
Holcomb added, “I believe there are steps that can be taken administratively to streamline and improve the process for fulfilling public records requests, and I have charged my office to examine the best ways to provide public transparency and access to public records at the highest possible value to taxpayers.”
The best way to prevent records requests from becoming a burden on public officials is to do exactly what Holcomb proposes: Make it easy for officials to find the records quickly, and make it possible to share the records at no charge in electronic formats.
Living by their own laws
On the federal level, our congressman, Republican U.S. Rep. Jim Banks, is co-sponsoring legislation that would prevent members of Congress from exempting themselves from the American Health Care Act.
“Congress should live under the laws it passes,” Banks said. “This is a common-sense bill to ensure that the law applies equally to both members of Congress and their constituents.”
Arizona Rep. Martha McSally introduced the bill last week. We hope the idea catches on, and it becomes more than just an opportunity for good publicity.
It’s possible that the American Health Care Act will not become law, so this particular bill would be meaningless. In that case, Congress still should end the practice of giving its members better health plans than the rest of us.