Facing stiff opposition from advocates and state officials, a bill that would seriously curtail the release of government records to the public has been tabled for further study.
House Bill 615 and Senate Bill 549 would allow state government and municipalities to deny public information requests if the subject matter is related to any current civil litigation in which the government is the defendant.
The bill was introduced by the Baltimore City delegation at the request of Mayor Sheila Dixon?s administration.
However, sponsors tabled the measure last week for further study over the summer after concerns were raised the measure went too far.
Common Cause of Maryland took aim Friday at arguments made by sponsors that public information requests were bogging down government agencies.
“I think it is taking the totally wrong approach. The Baltimore administration should be looking at new technology to help make it easier to access information, not more difficult,” Ryan O?Donnell, executive director of the public watchdog group, said in a telephone interview.
“You should always err on the side of the public?s right to know.”
State Attorney General Douglas Gansler also criticized the bill in a letter to legislators.
“Because some agencies are continuously involved in litigation, this provision could apply to vast quantities of records,” Gansler wrote.
But city officials said they have proposed revisions to the measure that would address those concerns.
“We never intended for the law to restrict access to information,” city solicitor George Nilson said.
“We just want to protect the city from the oppression of litigants using the public information requests to get around the procedures for discovery. Only litigants would be affected.”
The Maryland Public Information Act, which gives the public the right to request and receive information from almost any government agency, is currently subject to very few restrictions.
Under current law, onlyrecords already protected by existing law ? such as medical records ? can be withheld.
