Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Open Government topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Sunshine Committee seeks five-year extension to finish review of public-record exemptions
Summary
Co-chairs of the Oregon Sunshine Committee told the Senate Judiciary Committee the group needs five more years to complete a review of public-record exemptions; the bill would also change the committee report recipient and de-establish a subcommittee that rarely meets
Senate Bill 890 would extend the Oregon Sunshine Committee's statutory existence by five years so it can complete a review of exemptions to public records law, the committee heard Feb. 10.
The committee staff summary said the bill would "extend the time by 5 years in which the Oregon Sunshine Committee must complete a review of all existing exemptions to public records laws," change the recipient of the committee's biannual report to the Senate Judiciary Committee (instead of the Public Records Subcommittee of the Legislative Counsel Committee) and de-establish that subcommittee.
Morgan Smith, co-chair of the Oregon Sunshine Committee, described the work as voluminous: "The latest numbers we've reviewed [are] about 250 different exemptions," he said, noting the committee has reviewed many that were added after its creation in 2017 and was slowed by delays including the COVID-19 pandemic. Smith said the committee requested more time to continue evaluating exemptions and to make legislative recommendations in a timeframe useful to the Legislature.
Charlie Fisher, state director at a public-interest organization and co-chair of the committee, said the existing reporting path — to a public-records subcommittee that "doesn't ever meet" — made it unclear who receives the committee's recommendations. He told senators that moving the reports to the Judiciary Committee in even-numbered years would allow recommendations to be considered before the May legislative days.
Senator Thatcher, sponsor of the bill, indicated support for the proposal and said she endorsed the co-chairs' points when asked by the committee. The hearing concluded with both co-chairs urging adoption so the committee can finish work on streamlining and removing outdated exemptions to improve public access to records.
No committee vote occurred on Feb. 10; proponents asked the Judiciary Committee to consider the bill so the Sunshine Committee can continue its multi-year review and deliver timely reports to the Legislature.
