Two bills in the Wisconsin Assembly would change the state’s open records law. Assembly Bill 522 requires that open records requests intended for law enforcement agencies go directly to the agency that initiated the documents. Supporters of this bill say that it doesn’t change what documents are available but only where the requests must be made. Critics say the bill’s wording is vague and would limit what documents are available. This bill has been delayed pending changes to it’s wording.
 A second Assembly Bill, AB418, seeks to limit public access to the state’s court records database. The bill proposes to limit online access to judges, law enforcement officials and prosecutors. The general public would have to visit a county courthouse to view a court file or get permission to access the database. Further, those seeking information will have to not only disclose their relationship to the person about whom the information is sought, but also provide their name, address and reason for the request. AB418 is currently in the Assembly Corrections and Courts Committee.
3 responses so far ↓
1 Nathan // Nov 16, 2007 at 5:43 pm
If a citizen has to justify his/her need or purpose for a public record then that record is no longer truly public.
If I want to know about the court filings related to a government official, I should have to explain who I am and why I want the information?
If those kinds of questions are being asked as a prerequsite to provision of government information, the information flow is then under the control of, and whims of, those agencies that hold it.
2 More attention for Bills 522 & 418 « Wisconsin Sunbeam // Nov 21, 2007 at 9:14 am
[...] Wisconsin Bills Limit Public Records Access - The national open records blog Public Records Directory Blog mentions the anti-openness bills currently pending in Wisconsin. Nathan in the comments sums things up nicely when he says: If a citizen has to justify his/her need or purpose for a public record then that record is no longer truly public. [...]
3 Mark // Feb 12, 2008 at 4:08 pm
The Wisconsin Court Access Website is being used to discriminate against anyone issues a ticket in Wisconsin. To be fair, the names of individuals or companies requesting information should also be part of the public record.
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