Transparency advocates warn bill to let local governments keep applicants confidential is too broad

A sponsor presented House Bill 26 16 to permit local-government applicants for director-level positions (for example, chief financial officer, police chief, or director of public works) to request that their applications remain confidential during the hiring process. The sponsor said the intent is to help local governments recruit qualified candidates who might otherwise face reprisal or embarrassment.

Deborah Fisher, executive director of the Tennessee Coalition for Open Government, testified against the bill's breadth. She said the measure would require secrecy in many local-government searches and could conflict with the state's Public Records Act; she flagged statutory language she believes would remain in effect and called the proposal legally confusing. "This bill would make confidential information around the hiring of a director of schools, a city manager, and other positions that require a governing body vote," she said, and warned it "breeds suspicion."

Lawmakers debated whether the proposal should be narrowed; the committee voted to advance the bill to full committee (4 ayes, 2 noes).