Proposed changes would place new restrictions on scope of public records requests
By Peter Jamison Peter Jamison Reporter covering D.C. politics and government Email Bio Follow May 8 at 3:38 PM D.C. lawmakers are considering a proposal that could dramatically curtail access to public records, exempting from disclosure correspondence sent with government email in which public employees discuss matters not related to their official duties.
Open-government advocates swiftly condemned the proposed changes, which include new language that would only permit disclosure of “information regarding the affairs of government and the official acts of public officials and employees.” “The process is disturbing. The substance is even worse,” Susman said. “The idea that this is a technical, clarifying amendment is ludicrous.”
Mendelson said the proposed FOIA restrictions were not intended to protect council members such as Evans from scrutiny. He said the general counsel had told him that the records requests which unearthed Evans’s improper conduct would not have be rejected under the new restrictions. The point, he said, was instead to shield details of government officials’ personal lives.
The District's current open-records law already contains an exemption for “information of a personal nature where the public disclosure thereof would constitute a clearly unwarranted invasion of personal privacy.” Mendelson did not immediately respond to follow-up questions Wednesday about why that provision was insufficient.
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
China is using app to collect personal information on its citizens, report saysChina is using app to collect personal information on its citizens, report says.
Read more »
Microsoft's Satya Nadella uses a subtle fear tactic to win cloud business away from AmazonWhen Microsoft CEO met with the CEO of advertising giant WPP, Nadella subtly reminded him of the risk of choosing the wrong cloud company.
Read more »
Opinion | D.C.’s feed-the-homeless contract controversy may really be about food, not fraudOpinion: D.C.’s feed-the-homeless contract controversy may really be about food, not fraud
Read more »
2 Dems push D.C., Virginia bar associations to investigate BarrTwo congressional Democrats urged the bar associations in Washington and Virginia to launch an ethics investigation into William Barr's public comments on Mueller's report
Read more »
D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser unveils bill to legalize recreational marijuana salesThe District is in a legal quandary: Possession is legal, but selling marijuana is not.
Read more »
POLITICO Playbook PM: Behind the scenes: The other big-donor confab in D.C. this weekBehind the scenes: House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy just wrapped up his third big-dollar donor summit at the Willard Hotel in D.C. More in Playbook PM:
Read more »
The Russo Brothers Have Officially Weighed In On Why Bucky Did Not Get Captain America's ShieldSorry in advance, Stucky fans.
Read more »
Trump finds in Barr the attorney general — and shield — he long soughtBarr’s views on presidential power make him a darling in the administration, even if he is not personally loyal to Trump.
Read more »