Latest news with #SB277
Yahoo
7 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Gov. Cox taps former Utah AG records counsel as new public records director
The Capitol in Salt Lake City is pictured on Thursday, April 10, 2025. (Photo by Spenser Heaps for Utah News Dispatch) Utah Gov. Spencer Cox has appointed a former Utah Attorney General's Office attorney to fill a new role that will be a key decision-maker over which government records do — and don't — become public. Cox picked Lonny Pehrson, who most recently worked as records counsel for the Utah Attorney General's Office, to be the first director of the state's newly created Government Records Office. His nomination will be subject to consent from the Utah Senate. 'We look forward to the Government Records Office streamlining the appeals process and helping Utahns get timely answers to their records requests,' Cox said in a prepared statement. 'Lonny Pehrson's legal expertise and commitment to good governance make him the right person to lead this important effort.' Pehrson said he's 'honored' for Cox's nomination 'and truly appreciate the trust and responsibility it entails.' Utah lawmakers look to dissolve, replace State Records Committee. Here's why that matters 'I look forward to establishing the Government Records Office which will better facilitate access to government records in accordance with the law,' Pehrson said in a prepared statement. Earlier this year, the Utah Legislature voted to approve SB277, which dissolved and replaced the 30-year-old, seven-member State Records Committee with a single decision-maker. At the time, the bill's sponsor, Senate Majority Assistant Whip Mike McKell, R-Spanish Fork, said the change is meant to address 'inefficiencies,' cut down on wait times for records decisions, and replace the State Records Committee with someone with more 'legal experience.' Critics, including media professionals, argued the move would consolidate too much power with one person and lead to less transparency. The Society of Professional Journalists awarded the Utah Legislature its annual Black Hole award for the passage SB277, along with another, HB69, which made it difficult for people who challenge the government over public records denials to recoup their attorney fees. Pehrson, in his new role, will now decide appeals to records requests that have been denied. He'll be responsible for adjudicating records appeals hearings and supervising the Government Records Ombudsman and staff. 'He will also serve as a resource to citizens and governmental entities regarding government records management, ensuring lawful access to records and information, and leading a team that conducts statewide training in records and information management,' a news release issued Monday by the Division of Archives and Records Service said. 'Disregard for transparency': Utah Legislature's public records laws earn it a 'Black Hole' award Pehrson, in his previous role as records counsel for then-Utah Attorney General Sean Reyes, argued against releasing Reyes' calendar in response to requests from local news outlets KSL and The Salt Lake Tribune. The State Records Committee ultimately sided with reporters, and in February a judge ruled that Reyes' work calendar should be released. The same day as the judge's ruling, however, the Utah Legislature passed a bill to allow elected officials and government employees the ability to keep their calendars — including work meetings — private moving forward. Reyes didn't seek reelection last year after concerns surfaced over his past relationship with the embattled anti-trafficking nonprofit Operation Underground Railroad and its founder, Tim Ballard. Earlier this year, a legislative audit of Reyes' administration concluded that 'insufficient transparency' resulted in 'a lack of accountability for the position of the attorney general.' State leaders, however, applaud Pehrson as an expert in Utah's public records law, the Government Records Access and Management Act (GRAMA). Kenneth Williams, director of the Utah Division of Archives and Records Service and state archivist, said in a statement that his department is 'thrilled' to welcome Pehrson. 'I have worked with Lonny for several years and know that his expertise in records law and dedication to public service will be invaluable as we continue to ensure appropriate and reliable access to government records for the people of Utah,' Williams said. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
Yahoo
30-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Democratic filibuster likely kills Alabama abstinence, ‘sexual risk avoidance' bill
Sen. Shay Shelnutt, R-Trussville, listens to a filibuster over a bill to overhaul sex education and make public schools teach 'sexual risk avoidance' and abstinence on April 29, 2025 in Montgomery, Alabama. (Alander Rocha/ Alabama Reflector) A bill seeking to make Alabama's public schools teach 'sexual risk avoidance' and abstinence likely won't become law this year. A Democratic filibuster over the General Fund budget Tuesday pushed debate over SB 277, sponsored by Sen. Shay Shelnutt, R-Trussville, to the last couple of minutes before midnight, when the legislative day ends. The late debate meant senators could not vote on the measure. Shelnutt made his unhappiness at the prospect clear. 'We've only got 10 more minutes. Y'all wasted the whole day. So, let's just waste the last 10 minutes. I know you want to waste the last 10 minutes,' Shelnutt said at around 11:50 p.m. when Sen. Vivian Davis Figures, D-Mobile, asked if he would be willing to delay the bill until next year to allow them to work on something together. There are four days left in the 2025 session of the Alabama Legislature. Starting on Thursday, bills originating in the Senate that have not yet passed that chamber need unanimous consent to be sent to the House. A single senator's objection can kill a bill. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX Figures asked about the specifics of the curriculum and its implementation during the debate on the bill after Shelnutt initially ignored her on the floor. 'Senator?' Figures asked after a few seconds, following a question about whether he had been in contact with the Department of Education to learn about the current sex education curriculum. 'You've read the bill. You know what the bill does. There's no sense wasting my time answering your questions. Y'all want to stop it, so just you got the mic. Go,' Shelnutt responded defensively. 'Senator, I am sincerely asking you questions about this bill,' Figures responded. Shelnutt remained defensive during the debate, maintaining that 'this is a good bill' and that he didn't want 'teachers, left-wing, crazy people, teaching my kids about stuff that I don't ever want them to hear about.' 'If you got a problem with it, you got a problem with it,' Shelnutt said to Democratic senators. The bill would change sex education programs to include information about the 'financial cost of pregnancy and child care, abortion, and adoption,' as well as 'instruction about parenting responsibilities.' It explicitly prohibited 'providing a referral to or information about how to acquire an abortion,' 'misrepresenting the efficacy of or demonstrating the use of contraceptives,' and 'using images that are sexually explicit.' 'I don't want my kids taught that crap. I mean, it's crap,' Shelnutt said on the floor. The bill also tried to prevent local boards of education from using services from any individual or organization 'that does not endorse sexual risk avoidance or that advocates for or performs abortions.' It also mandated that parents or guardians be given a 14-day notice before any sex education instruction and granted them the right to opt their children out of such programs. Sen. Rodger Smitherman, D-Birmingham, spoke briefly after Figures and pushed back on the claim that Tuesday was a 'wasted day.' Instead, he said, it was an opportunity to compromise. 'It's only a waste when you don't care about things that we're trying to address for the people that we represent. So, if I'm categorized as trying to represent the people that I represent, and someone wants to call it a waste, then so be it,' Smitherman said. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
Yahoo
09-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
College students advocate for menstrual tax exemption at Alabama Statehouse
The Alabama State House in Montgomery, Alabama as seen on July 10, 2023. College students came to the Statehouse Tuesday to push for a bill removing sales tax from menstrual products. (Stew Milne for Alabama Reflector) Rhianna Rinderkincht, a 20-year-old student at the University of Alabama, said she often struggles to make the choice between buying groceries and menstrual products. 'I'm pretty much financially independent, so money gets tight, and those things are expensive to begin with,' Rinderkincht said in an interview. Rinderkincht was at the Alabama State House with the Alabama chapter of United for Reproductive and Gender Equity (URGE) on Tuesday meeting with legislators in support of HB 152, sponsored by Rep. Neil Rafferty, D-Birmingham. The legislation would remove state sales tax on menstrual products, baby formula, maternity clothing and other related products. It passed the House in March and awaits approval from the Senate. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX Sen. Arthur Orr, R-Decatur, attempted to pass similar legislation last year, but it did not get a vote in the House. Alabama is one of 20 states that tax period products, according to the Alliance for Period Supplies. 'People shouldn't have to choose between groceries and period products or groceries and baby formula,' Rinderkincht said. URGE also advocated against SB 277, sponsored by Sen. Shay Shelnutt, R-Trussville, that centers sex education in Alabama on abstinence until marriage. According to a University of Washington study, abstinence-only-until-marriage programs do not improve teen pregnancy, sexually transmitted diseases or infections. 'If that's something that you want to do, that is totally fine. However, you should be giving people enough information to make informed choices,' said Sylvia Glenn, a 21-year-old student at UA, in an interview. The pair and other student advocates with URGE met with lawmakers to express their support for the tax exemption on menstrual products. Although Rinderkincht and Glenn are not originally from Alabama, they said the policies will still affect them while they are in the state for school. 'This is me trying to give myself a little education about what it does look like to show up and to represent my district. I mean, our representatives are representing us, but also the other way around, how I can do my piece and advocate for myself in my community,' Glenn said. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
Yahoo
21-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
This national group gave the Utah Legislature its ‘Black Hole' award
Recent laws making it more difficult and expensive to obtain government records earned the Utah Legislature a 'dishonor' from one of the nation's oldest and largest journalism organizations. The Society of Professional Journalists gave Utah lawmakers its 2025 Black Hole Award on Friday. The Legislature received the award for repeatedly undermining transparency by amending Utah's longstanding Government Records Access and Management Act, or GRAMA, to block the release of public records — even after court orders mandated their disclosure, according to SPJ. The yearslong trend culminated in March, when legislators voted to abolish the State Records Committee, an independent board that serves as an intermediary between people who request access to government records and various government agencies. The volunteer seven-member panel resolves disputes over whether documents are private or public under GRAMA. Earlier this month, state lawmakers passed SB277, which replaces the records committee with an administrative law judge appointed by the governor. Howard Goldberg, retired Associated Press bureau chief and member of the SPJ Freedom of Information Committee, said in a statement that the records committee with its diverse perspectives was ideally suited to look out for the public interest in free information. 'Replacing that committee with a governor's appointee can only reduce accountability and undermine public confidence in government,' he said. There have been several recent cases where the panel ruled in favor of releasing records that government agencies and elected officials sought to withhold, only to have the Legislature change the law to keep them secret. In 2022, lawmakers exempted Garrity statements — statements made by public employees during internal investigations — from public disclosure following a request by The Salt Lake Tribune for documents related to officer-involved shootings. The committee had ordered the release of the documents and subsequent court rulings upheld the order. In 2023, the Legislature passed a law making college athletes' name, image and likeness, or NIL, contracts submitted to their schools for review private records. The Deseret News sought the records under GRAMA. The records committee deemed them public documents and ordered their release. State lawmakers changed the law while the Deseret News and the universities were in litigation. In 2024, lawmakers passed a law shielding public officials' digital work calendars from public view after KSL-TV sought access to then-Attorney General Sean Reyes' calendar. The records committee ordered the release of the calendar and a court had upheld the decision. Lawmakers passed a bill exempting digital calendars from public inspection within hours of the court ruling. In addition to SB277, the Legislature this year also passed HB69, which makes the process for appealing the denial of a government records more costly. It prevents someone who successfully gets access to records on appeal from recovering court costs, unless the government showed bad faith. That means they could incur an expense opposing the government even if it's decided they should have been given the records in the first place. 'The possibility that government would have to pay attorney fees for wrongfully denying a citizen access to public records was a powerful incentive for agencies to comply with the law. HB69 took that away. Now government can deny requests and citizens will have no recourse because going to court is too expensive,' said Jeff Hunt, an attorney who represents the media coalition. Gov. Spencer Cox said Thursday he plans to sign the bills. 'I think it's best for for the state. I think it's best for state government. I think it's best for the people,' he said Thursday at his monthly PBS Utah news conference. 'We're always trying to make sure we have the right balance in government, and I think these bills do.' Emma Penrod, president of the SPJ Utah Headliners Chapter, said public records law isn't supposed to 'devolve into a game of cat-and-mouse played by the press and government officials. 'The actions taken by the Utah Legislature in recent years will prevent Utahns from all walks of life — but especially those from disadvantaged backgrounds and vulnerable populations — from accessing information about how their local government operates, impairing their ability to participate in the democratic process." This is not Utah's first time receiving national scrutiny for its lack of transparency. In 2011, the Legislature received SPJ's inaugural Black Hole Award after passing a bill that gutted the GRAMA. Public backlash prompted lawmakers to repeal the law.
Yahoo
20-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Major changes coming to Utah's government records access law
Gov. Spencer Cox said Thursday he plans to sign several bills that will bring big changes to Utah's government records access law. At the top of the list is legislation that will do away with the State Records Committee, the longstanding seven-member volunteer panel that resolves disputes over whether a record is public or private under the Government Records Access and Management Act or GRAMA. SB277 will replace the committee with an administrative law judge appointed by the governor to a four-year term. Sen. Mike McKell, R-Spanish Fork, who sponsored the bill, said during the legislative session that the current records committee process is flawed. He said the panel's decisions are inconsistent because its members are not trained in the law. He also said state and legislative audits found few cases in recent years were resolved within the 73 days the law requires and last year the average time was 156 days. Cox said at his monthly PBS Utah news conference that the change is best for Utahns and state government. 'Look, we have about a four- to six-month backlog often when it comes to these issues going before the board. What we're doing is we're putting in an administrative law judge, somebody who understands the law and who can rule very quickly on these issues that's going to help all of you not have to wait for these decisions to get those decisions out more quickly,' the governor said. 'So we're always trying to make sure we have the right balance in government, and I think these bills do.' The records committee has been part of GRAMA since the legislature passed it in 1991. Courts have upheld the committee's rulings 98% of the time, according to the Utah Media Coalition, a consortium of new outlets the seeks to keep government records open. The coalition initially opposed the bill but took a neutral position after lawmakers removed a provision that would have essentially gutted the open records law. SB277 was among several bills aimed at GRAMA. Another, HB69, will make the process for appealing the denial of a government record more costly. It prevents someone who successfully gets access to records on appeal from recovering court costs, unless the government showed bad faith. That means they could incur an expense opposing the government even if it's decided they should have been given the records in the first place. 'The possibility that government would have to pay attorney fees for wrongfully denying a citizen access to public records was a powerful incentive for agencies to comply with the law. HB69 took that away. Now government can deny requests and citizens will have no recourse because going to court is too expensive,' said Jeff Hunt, an attorney who represents the media coalition.
