Some public officials need to educate themselves about public records laws, WWL's Newell Normand said, and the number one rule they need to know is "the worst thing you can do is to try to cover it up."
"If you said it, you own it," Normand advised. That position stands in direct opposition to a measure introduced by state Sen. Heather Cloud, which would dramatically reduce access to most public records in Louisiana.
The way Cloud tried to justify shielding documents had Newell thinking she has 'no idea how government works.'
He said it opens to 'so much abuse, it is ridiculous,' and shows that the people creating bills like this 'think we are stupid.'
Cloud's proposal would deny access to records “reflecting advisory opinions, recommendations and deliberations comprising part of a process by which governmental decisions and policies are formulated.”
The L.A. Illuminator noted that’s nearly every public record — at all levels of government.
Documents and e-mails generated by officials are public records, whether or not they end up in an official report, Normand said.
"Where these things come back to haunt people is when they start from a stupid position and they try to justify ... their lack of knowledge," Normand said. See the bill here.
Cloud's bill faced strong opposition, but still managed to make it out of committee. The bill heads next to the full Senate.
