URGENT: Tell DeWine to Veto Egregious Changes to Public Records Law

Don’t give Ohio legislators a carte blanche for corruption!

Yesterday, the state legislature passed the state operating budget which included $600 million for the new Browns stadium and other provisions that benefit their donors and the wealthy. The budget bill also includes two changes to further shield legislators’ actions from public scrutiny – and as we all know, secrecy breeds corruption. 

First, the budget creates a loophole in public records law by exempting “personal notes.” None of us need access to truly personal notes. However, informal exchanges at work can help the public understand what happened behind the scenes. For example, in 2011, mapmakers revealed their mindset in an email exchange when they called the hotel room where they drew new legislative district lines “the bunker.” Having access to email notes meant we could see their intentions and state of mind. Lawmakers will draw new maps this fall – how convenient it would be for them if their “notes” about redistricting are shielded from public scrutiny. 

Even worse: the state legislature changed public records law in the budget bill to shield ALL of their own communications with one another and legislative staff from public scrutiny. Emails, texts, and documents would only become public records after the end of the two-year-long legislative session, ensuring that legislators could wheel and deal and bargain with corporations and donors without fear of the public having access before bills are passed and elections are held. Our ability to look behind the curtain while they make the legislative “sausage” helps prevent the most egregious, outright corruption. It’s outrageous and unacceptable that anyone would propose additional secrecy when the Ohio Statehouse already has such a problem with corruption.

Worst of all: this amendment was added to the budget at 1:30 am, in the final hours of the House and Senate Conference Committee, anonymously. It was never part of either the House or Senate budgets. It never had a hearing. No one had the opportunity to push back. All of this is totally and utterly unacceptable! 

TAKE ACTION

Governor DeWine must sign the budget by June 30. Email and call him TODAY to tell him to veto these egregious changes in public records law. You can call Gov. DeWine at any of the numbers found on this spreadsheet: bit.ly/MikeDeWine.

Don’t let those in power continue to whittle away our access to information! In a budget bill in 1999, the state legislature changed Ohio’s Open Records Law to make Legislative Service Commission (LSC) records exempt from public records requests. The LSC staff helps craft legislation and provides legislators with legal advice. Not having access to records relating to the inner workings of the LSC means that since 1999 we have not been able to tell which outside group or corporation provided proposed language for a bill, and which legislators urged which specific amendments. The public records law changes added to the current budget would make that problem exponentially worse.

Urge Gov. DeWine to line item veto these provisions! Secrecy fosters corruption. The press and the public need to have access to documents that help us understand legislative decision making.