Disagreement is growing over a proposal by members of the Vermont media to amend the state’s open records law.
Representatives of the Vermont Press Association want to require that public agencies pay their legal fees when they lose lawsuits over access to public records. But Governor Jim Douglas’s administration and the lobbying group for the state’s cities and towns say they oppose a Senate bill that would accomplish that.
Government agencies say there are many exemptions to the general rules that public records should be open to anyone who wishes to see them. They also say that there are other laws that prohibit them from releasing certain records.
The Senate Judiciary Committee plans another hearing on the bill next week.