This is terrible. Any government official who is afraid of public scrutiny of their work should not be in government.
Arizona’s Republican-controlled Legislature approved a measure this week exempting itself from the state’s public records law and authorizing the destruction of all emails sent or received by legislators and their staffs after 90 days.
The new rules adopted by both GOP-led chambers effectively shield members and their staff from public records requests, making investigations into any potential wrongdoing far more difficult.
The exemptions from public records laws and the ability to destroy emails after 90 days apply to both chambers. The state House, however, also adopted new rules allowing its members and their staff to immediately delete all texts sent and received, as well as calendars and “communications on online platforms.” The new Senate rules shields texts related to official government business from public records laws if they have been sent or received on nongovernment devices.
They must have an awfully lot to hide to be this incredibly bold. Sounds like grounds for a colossal recall effort before they effectively legislate away that process too. Effin uniparty crooks.
The rumors that the cartels own AZ politicians are probably true.
Now what will the (D) “Governor” do? Veto, or not?
Unacceptable, fire them all immediately. Game over.
From the article:”Legislatures having the ability to shield themselves from public records laws is not unheard of. State legislators in Wisconsin have enjoyed the benefits of such a loophole since 1982, when the state’s open records laws created an exemption specifically for them.
Minnesota, Iowa, Oklahoma and Massachusetts also have laws in place effectively exempting state legislators from public records requests, according to record request nonprofit MuckRock, though it remains exceedingly common for legislators in states where such exemptions don’t explicitly exist to avoid complying with public records laws.”
So, let’s be fair then, start ripping the Wisconsin legislature and the other states.
I knew AZ republicans always had a little bit of Democrat in them.
Gee, Kevin and the others here, you do realize that Wisconsin does the same thing.
Where is the outrage about Wisconsin since they have done the same thing for decades?