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Wednesday, January 28, 2009

Ark. bill aims to curb FOI exemptions

If the bill passes through the Senate, new laws calling for FOIA exemptions in Arkansas will have to be specific in laying out what exact records or meetings it refers to.
The state House on Tuesday approved a bill it previously rejected that seeks to protect the Arkansas Freedom of Information Act from surreptitious tinkering.

In a 57-31 vote, the House approved House Bill 1050 by Rep. Dan Greenberg, R-Little Rock, which would require any new law creating an exemption to the FOIA to state clearly what records or meetings it is exempting.

The bill previously came before the House on Thursday and was narrowly defeated. After Tuesday’s vote, Greenberg told reporters that since Thursday he had contacted several House members individually and distributed a memo to all 100 House members offering a more thorough explanation of his bill.

More here.

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