Here & Now

Johnson Shares Insight On Proposed Open Records Changes

FREDERICA FREYBERG:

THE BUDGET COMMITTEE’S HIGHLY-ANTICIPATED BUDGET WRAP-UP MOTION SPANNED 24 PAGES AND INCLUDES EVERYTHING FROM EXPANDING PAYDAY LENDING TO ALLOWING A SEVEN-DAY WORK WEEK TO REVERSING EARLIER CHANGES TO TEACHER LICENSING. BUT SEVERAL ITEMS RELATING TO OPEN RECORDS LAW ARE WHAT WE CONCENTRATE ON TONIGHT. WE ARE JOINED ON SET BY WISCONSIN PUBLIC TELEVISION REPORTER SHAWN JOHNSON FOR TONIGHT’S CAPITOL INSIGHT AND THANKS FOR BEING HERE.

SHAWN JOHNSON:

YOU’RE WELCOME.

FREDERICA FREYBERG:

THANKS A LOT FOR STAYING UP ALL NIGHT FOR US. WELL NOW THE MOTION THAT THE REPUBLICANS PASSED LAST NIGHT MAKE SOME BIG CHANGES TO OPEN RECORDS.

SHAWN JOHNSON:

RIGHT. UNDER THE MOTION THAT THEY HAVE NOW ADDED TO THE BUDGET, DELIBERATIVE MATERIALS WOULD BE EXCLUDED FROM THE OPEN RECORDS LAW. AND THAT IS A PRETTY BROAD PHRASE AS IT’S DESCRIBED IN THE MOTION THAT THEY PASSED. IT INCLUDES PRETTY MUCH ANYTHING USED TO DEVELOP LEGISLATION. FROM DRAFTS, EMAILS, NOTES, ANYTHING. THOSE WOULD BE EXCLUDED FROM THE OPEN RECORDS LAW. ALSO THE MOTION THAT THEY PASSED WOULD MEAN THAT BILL DRAFTING FILES WOULD NO LONGER BE PUBLIC AND THAT WOULD MAKE IT HARDER TO FIND OUT WHO WROTE A BILL, WHY THEY WROTE IT THE WAY THEY DID IT. THESE HAVE BEEN USED PRETTY EXTENSIVELY BY REPORTERS AND INTEREST GROUPS ALIKE. THEY WERE USED EARLIER THIS YEAR TO DETERMINE THAT GOVERNOR WALKER’S ADMINISTRATION MADE DELIBERATE CHANGES TO THE WISCONSIN IDEA AND UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN MISSION STATEMENT. NO REPUBLICANS CLAIMED OWNERSHIP OF THESE CHANGES DURING THE JOINT FINANCE COMMITTEE MEETING, BUT ALL 12 OF THEM VOTED FOR IT. HERE’S WHAT REPUBLICAN REPRESENTATIVE DEAN KNUDSON HAD TO SAY.

DEAN KNUDSON:

THE LEGISLATIVE PROCESS INVOLVES TALKING WITH PEOPLE AND COMMUNICATING WITH PEOPLE AND AT TIMES YOU WANT TO BE ABLE TO DO THAT WITHOUT CREATING A FORMAL, OPEN, PUBLIC RECORD. THAT’S THE BALANCING TEST HERE.

SHAWN JOHNSON:

ALL THE DEMOCRATS ON THE COMMITTEE VOTED AGAINST IT. DEMOCRATIC SENATOR JON ERPENBACH SAYS THESE CHANGES WILL INVITE CORRUPTION.

JON ERPENBACH:

PEOPLE WHO USUALLY ARE EITHER FRIGHTENED OF SOMETHING OR HAVE SOMETHING TO HIDE CHANGE THE RULES IF THEY’RE IN THE MAJORITY. SOMEBODY IN THIS BUILDING SOMEWHERE WANTS TO HIDE SOMETHING.

FREDERICA FREYBERG:

WELL, REACTION WAS SWIFT FROM REPUBLICAN ATTORNEY GENERAL BRAD SCHIMEL, WHO IN JUNE ANNOUNCED THE CREATION OF AN OFFICE FOR OPEN GOVERNMENT TO HELP THE PUBLIC OBTAIN GOVERNMENT RECORDS MORE QUICKLY AND CONSISTENTLY. HE RELEASED A STATEMENT TODAY ON THIS SAYING, QUOTE, TRANSPARENCY IS THE CORNERSTONE OF DEMOCRACY AND PROVISIONS IN THE BUDGET BILL LIMITING ACCESS TO PUBLIC RECORDS MOVE WISCONSIN IN THE WRONG DIRECTION.” AND FINALLY A LOT OF PEOPLE ARE WEIGHING IN ON THIS, AS YOU WELL KNOW. FINALLY, ANDY HALL, THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF THE WISCONSIN CENTER FOR INVESTIGATIVE JOURNALISM, SAYS THIS. QUOTE, THIS PROPOSAL WOULD EVISCERATE THE PUBLIC’S ACCESS TO EVERY CORNER OF LOCAL AND STATE GOVERNMENT IN WISCONSIN. HOW STRANGE AND TRAGIC THAT THIS ATTACK ON OUR DEMOCRACY SURFACES ON THE EVE OF THE CELEBRATION OF OUR INDEPENDENCE. AND IT SHOULD BE NOTED THAT THE WISCONSIN CENTER FOR INVESTIGATIVE JOURNALISM ITSELF WAS A TARGET IN JUST SUCH A WRAP-UP MOTION IN THE LAST BUDGET. THEY SURVIVED THAT TARGET AND STILL CONTINUE TO DO THEIR WORK. BUT, AGAIN, THOSE COMMENTS FROM ANDY HALL. AND NOW THE GOVERNOR ALSO MADE SOME COMMENTS.

SHAWN JOHNSON:

YEAH. THIS ISN’T FINAL. THE FULL LEGISLATURE STILL HAS TO PASS THE BUDGET. THE GOVERNOR’S SPOKESWOMAN SAID PRIOR TO THE BUDGET GOING TO THE FULL LEGISLATURE FOR ACTION, GOVERNOR WALKER PLANS TO WORK WITH LEGISLATIVE LEADERS TO MAKE CHANGES TO THE PROVISIONS INCLUDED IN THE CURRENT PROPOSAL RELATED TO THE STATE’S OPEN RECORDS LAW. WE DON’T KNOW WHAT THOSE CHANGES WILL BE, THOUGH. WE’LL FIND OUT NEXT WEEK.

FREDERICA FREYBERG:

WE’LL STAND BY. SHAWN, THANKS VERY MUCH.

SHAWN JOHNSON:

YOU’RE WELCOME.