Transparency Bills Go Dark
Bills to make government more transparent stall in Oklahoma Legislature
BY BARBARA HOBEROCK World Capitol Bureau
Sunday, March 31, 2013
OKLAHOMA CITY – A number of bills making government more transparent and open are dormant for the session.
The measures either did not get heard in committee or on the floor of the House or Senate by deadline. They may be taken up next session.
“I think they are committed to transparency but because of technology and the sensitivity to people’s privacy, they are very careful about records,” said Mark Thomas, executive vice president of the Oklahoma Press Association.
One measure, House Bill 1452, by Rep. Jason Murphey, R-Guthrie, would have subjected the Oklahoma Legislature to the Open Meeting and Open Records acts. Other lawmakers filed similar measures that are also dormant.