AZ House/Senate Repubs Passed New Rule to Exempt Lawmakers from Public Records Laws

[ouch]

and the trend grows for shady lawmakers to remain - well, shadier. Nothing to really see here - just trust us.

Arizona GOP slammed for changing rules to exempt themselves from public records law

"Republicans, using their small majority in the House and Senate, decided this week to exempt lawmakers from public records laws in order to cover up future misconduct," wrote Montini. "That’s not how they described their action, of course. In fact, Republican House Speaker Ben Toma told Capitol Media Services, 'I don’t think there’s any intention on my part to hide anything.' It’s an interesting statement, since what GOP lawmakers did was create rules that allow them to hide their official exchanges from the public."

Under the new rule, passed over Democratic objections, lawmakers and their staff can destroy their email correspondence after 90 days. They are also seeking to limit debate on "controversial legislation" to 30 minutes.

"If such a rule were in place for the past couple of years, for example, we might not have ever known about the extent Arizona Republican lawmakers went to overturn the election victory of President Joe Biden. That’s why records should be maintained," wrote Montini.

 

[mike2810]

/sarcasm on
The AZ GOP want to make sure that their actions are transparent and open, not.
/sarcasm off

Seems the AZ GOP who crammed the Cyber Ninja audit of the 2020 election down the publics throat want to make sure they do not get caught with emails that might shed them in a bad light. Way to go AZ GOP. So glad I left this failing Party.

"Under the new rules, first reported on by Capitol Media Services last Wednesday, email correspondence sent or received by lawmakers and staff will be deleted after 90 days unless it is actively retained because of ongoing or prospective administrative or legal proceedings. Previously, it appears that the legislature had generally adhered to the same standards of preserving public records that applied to other government employees in Arizona. The Senate’s rule went even further in shielding official communications by stating that any message that is sent or received on the private device of any legislator, staff member, intern, or contractor “is not subject to public inspection,” with no stated exception for messages containing or about official government business — a flagrant public records loophole.

“This rule change only benefits lawmakers who want to hide the truth from the people they serve,” said American Oversight Executive Director Heather Sawyer.

https://www.americanoversight.org/american-oversight-condemns-arizona-legislatures-new-rules-allowing-lawmakers-to-shield-communications-from-public-disclosure