Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders is seeking to overhaul the state's expansive public records law amid an investigation into the state.
The push to revise the law stumbled at the start of a special legislative session that Sanders called this week. Additionally, Republican leaders on Monday reworked a bill to enact the Arkansas governor's changes as she faces criticism over the issue despite arguing that the move was about security and government efficiency.
Arkansas Public Records Law
On Friday, Sanders announced a special three-day session that was called also to address tax cuts and prevent potential COVID-19 mandates. The situation came as a lawsuit is pending against the state for allegedly withholding information related to the governor's travel that was requested under the state's Freedom of Information Act.
The man responsible for filing the lawsuit against the state believes that the timing of the developments was not a mere coincidence. An attorney in Little Rock and founder of the progressive blog "Blue Hog Report," Matt Campbell, filed the complaint on Sept. 5 against the Arkansas State Police.
The latter is responsible for providing security for the state's governor, and the complaint was filed because Campbell said that the agency failed to provide passenger manifests that he requested for some of Sanders' flights, as per ABC News.
An Arkansas circuit judge is set to hear Campbell's case against the state, which he contends is the "easiest, most straightforward FOIA win ever," on Thursday morning. However, the complainant said that he is unsure whether his case could be affected should lawmakers decide to pass the proposed exemptions to the public records law before the scheduled date.
In a statement, Campbell said that he believed the other party realized they would lose in the lawsuit and were forced to change the rules to protect themselves. He added that he requested flight logs in the past administrations but did not have to contend with the same issue as he is now.
Restricting Access to Records
The state's efforts to start broadening exemptions to what records the public can access related to Sanders' administration has brought together some unlikely allies. Democratic lawmakers have voiced concerns alongside the Pulaski County Republicans and the Saline County Republican Committee, as well as the conservative group Americans for Prosperity.
FOIA experts said the proposed expansive public records law changes would severely weaken it. The legislation was first signed in 1967 bythe state's first Republican governor since Reconstruction and worked to protect the public's access to government meetings and records, according to the Associated Press.
But Sanders' efforts faced obstruction after the House and Senate ended without taking action on the legislation. It was one of several items that the Arkansas governor placed on the agenda for the special session.
On Monday night, the Senate scuttled plans to hold a committee hearing as lawmakers worked on revising the proposed changes to the state's Freedom of Information Act. Senate President Bart Hester said that despite making many changes, the proposal was not ready yet, said Fox News.
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