Attorney: 'I would not trust this Legislature to do the right thing' with open records laws (WI)

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2. Scott Walker's office pushed for language to gut open records law.

This is NEW! Walker is a lying sack of shi**!


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Scott Walker's office pushed for language to gut open records law. via @journalsentinel http://bit.ly/1LYefPI



Scott Walker's office pushed for language to gut open records law
By Patrick Marley and Mary Spicuzza of the Journal Sentinel
July 29, 2015

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Madison— Gov. Scott Walker's office pushed to add language into the attempted overhaul of Wisconsin's open records law that would have shielded briefings, discussions about policy drafts and other "deliberative" documents, newly released documents show.

The records, described as "deliberative process materials," would have also made unavailable to the public opinions, analyses, recommendations, suggestions and notes that preceded a final decision.

The documents showing the GOP White House hopeful's role in trying to change the open records law came as Republican Attorney General Brad Schimel held a summit Wednesday on open government and said such laws should not be weakened.

Republicans on the Legislature's budget committee advanced a measure to gut the open records law July 2, but quickly backed off amid a public outcry.

Walker has acknowledged his office had a role in developing the plan, but he also has tried to distance himself from it, saying this month the overall proposal "didn't come from us."

Early versions of the sweeping open records limits did not include language preventing the release of deliberative materials. But limits to "deliberative process materials" were in place by June 15, a review of newly available records shows.

That was the same day Michael Gallagher, an attorney with the Legislative Reference Bureau, wrote to an aide to Assembly Speaker Robin Vos (R-Rochester) indicating he had spoken to Walker assistant legal counsel David Rabe about the changes.

Gallagher's June 15 email had a subject line of "Governor's request."

"In the interest of expediency, I am going to enter this as a separate Speaker Vos request and copy David Rabe from the governor's office on it. I just talked to David. He is fine with proceeding that way," Gallagher wrote in the email. "Let me know if you want to do it differently."...........