Colorado Wrestles With Open Government Legislation

Colorado's HB 1332 -- which would have restricted the scope of state documents subject to public disclosure through the state's open records law -- was withdrawn last week when newspapers objected.  However, State Rep. Alice Madden, D-Boulder, will introduce similar legislation, according to an article in the Denver Post. Madden, calling requests for public documents "fishing expeditions" was recently the subject of a records request from FaceTheState.com a conservative group investigating Madden's position on an issue, according to the Post.

The Post said a draft of Madden's bill would require open records requests to come from Colorado residents, and that they be delivered by hand or by certified mail. The draft bill would exempt some lawmakers' e-mail, would add a week to agency response deadlines, and would exempt records that contain Social Security numbers and other confidential information, instead of requiring redaction of such information and then release.