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Committee agrees to draft bill to shield teachers' home addresses from FOIA requests; hearing to be scheduled
Summary
The Government Oversight Committee voted to draft Senate Bill 1209, which would prohibit disclosure under the Freedom of Information Act of public school teachers' residential addresses, and to hold a public hearing; members voiced safety and transparency concerns during discussion.
The Government Oversight Committee on Tuesday, Feb. 4, voted by voice to draft Senate Bill 1209, an act that would prohibit disclosure under the Freedom of Information Act of the residential addresses of public school teachers, and to move the proposal toward a public hearing.
Senator Wilcox moved the motion to draft the bill and Representative Gucker seconded. Members approved the motion by voice; the chair called for a hearing and staff to prepare drafting language. Committee members discussed competing priorities behind the proposal: concerns for teacher safety on one hand and public transparency on the other.
Senator Sampson said the question of withholding employee residential addresses has come up frequently and that the attorney general’s office has returned to similar items over the years. Sampson expressed sympathy for the safety concerns teachers have raised but said he had “significant reservations” and that he was unlikely to support a final policy of broad nondisclosure; he nonetheless supported moving the concept out of committee to permit further public testimony and debate.
Representative McGee encouraged teachers with firsthand safety concerns to testify at the hearing, saying, "If you are a teacher and you've experienced these things or your colleagues have, please encourage them to testify because I think it's important that we hear from personal experiences that teachers are actually having for why this policy is important." Representative Gucker echoed calls for teacher testimony and said the committee must ensure teachers can work and return home safely.
The committee record shows no final changes to the state’s disclosure rules were adopted at the meeting. The vote to draft SB 1209 authorizes staff to prepare bill text and hold a public hearing where advocates, teachers and the attorney general’s office can present evidence and competing views before any final legislative vote.
