THE HUNTER REPORT

thehunterreport.com

YOUR RIGHT TO KNOW

TAKE ACTION

"The cornerstone of this freedom is transparency in government..."

BY: PAT HUNTER

Take action to protect your right to know. Please contact state officials, today. Moreover, urge your friends, neighbors, co-workers, and family members that live here or in other counties, to contact state representatives and state senators and request that they vote no on SB 1951 (SEE BELOW).

There are several pending legislative bills that should concern you including imposing fees for viewing public records.

The wording on Senate Bill 1951 states, ..."If the time that is reasonably required to perform the activities that are necessary to produce records pursuant to a request totals one (1) hour or longer, the records custodian may require the requestor to pay the custodian’s actual labor costs that are incurred in producing the requested material for inspection. For purposes of this subdivision, “labor cost” is defined as the base hourly wages of any employees whose labor is reasonably necessary to locate, retrieve, review, redact, and copy records that have been requested multiplied by the number of hours that the employees were engaged in any such activities while producing records pursuant to a request."

Taxpayers already pay for personnel, insurance benefits (medical, dental, life) and pension plan. The hourly rate of pay for the County Mayor's secretary (Records Custodian) is $17.70 per hour not including benefits. The hourly rate of pay for personnel employed in the County Finance Dept. range from $15.63 to $18.48 per hour, not including benefits.

Many of these bills are sponsored by special interest groups and powerful lobbying groups representing state, cities, and county government officials associations. The public has a right to participate in open and transparent government.

This bill was initially introduced by Blount County State Senator Overby, and now by Roane County State Senator Ken Yager. On Senator Yager's website he speaks about the "Legislature brings sunshine online and offers expanded televised coverage of meetings to provide greater transparency in state government." Why would Senator Yager sponsor a bill that would impose fees to view public records, doesn't he believe that the public has a right to be informed or hold government officials accountable?  http://kenyager.com/index.html

PLEASE EMAIL TODAY AND SHARE YOUR CONCERNS.

See Contact information for State Senators (McNally, Overby, Yager) and State Reps (Matlock, Hurley).

STATUS OF BILL

Bill History
Actions Taken on SB1951 Action Date
P2C, ref. to S. S&L Govt. Comm. 02/24/2011
Intro., P1C. 02/23/2011
Filed for intro. 02/17/2011
Actions Taken on HB1875 Action Date
Placed on s/c cal S&LG Subcommittee for 3/16/2011 03/09/2011
Assigned to s/c General Sub of S&LG 03/01/2011
P2C, ref. to State & Local Government Committee 02/24/2011
P1C. 02/23/2011
Sponsor change. 02/23/2011
Intro. 02/17/2011
Filed for intro. 02/17/2011

CONTACT INFORMATION

Senator Randy McNally

Phone (865) 483-5544

Nashville address

301 6th Avenue North
Suite 307 War Memorial Building
Nashville, TN 37243
Phone (615) 741-6806
 

EMAIL: sen.randy.mcnally@capitol.tn.gov

Rep. Jimmy Matlock

190 Matlock Road, LC TN 37771 

Phone? 

Nashville address

301 6th Avenue North
Suite 219 War Memorial Building
Nashville, TN 37243
Phone (615) 741-3736

EMAIL:   rep.jimmy.matlock@capitol.tn.gov

 
Senator Ken Yager

Phone (865) 285-9797

Nashville address

301 6th Avenue North
Suite 6 Legislative Plaza
Nashville, TN 37243
Phone (615) 741-1449
Fax (615) 253-0237

EMAIL:  sen.ken.yager@capitol.tn.gov

 Rep. Julia Hurley
119 Lee Drive
Lenoir City, TN 37771 

Phone ?

Nashville address: 

301 6th Avenue North
Suite 114 War Memorial Bldg.
Nashville, TN 37243
Phone (615) 741-7658

EMAIL:  rep.julia.hurley@capitol.tn.gov

 
Senator Doug Overbey

Phone (865) 681-8236

Nashville address

301 6th Avenue North
Suite 306 War Memorial Bldg.
Nashville, TN 37243
Phone: (615) 741-0981

EMAIL:  sen.doug.overbey@capitol.tn.gov

 

 

HOUSE BILL 1875

By Todd

SENATE BILL 1951

By Yager

AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 10,

Chapter 7, Part 5, relative to the inspection of public records.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF TENNESSEE:

SECTION 1. Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 10-7-503(a)(7)(A), is amended by deleting the language “or assess a charge.”

SECTION 2. Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 10-7-503(a)(2), is amended by adding a new subdivision (D) to read as follows:

(D) If the time that is reasonably required to perform the activities that are necessary to produce records pursuant to a request totals one (1) hour or longer, the records custodian may require the requestor to pay the custodian’s actual labor costs that are incurred in producing the requested material for inspection. For purposes of this subdivision, “labor cost” is defined as the base hourly wages of any employees whose labor is reasonably necessary to locate, retrieve, review, redact, and copy records that have been requested multiplied by the number of hours that the employees were engaged in any such activities while producing records pursuant to a request.

SECTION 3. This act shall be effective upon becoming the law, the public welfare requiring it.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

SENATE BILL 1951

By Overbey

HOUSE BILL 1875

By Todd

AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 10,

Chapter 7, Part 5, relative to the inspection of

public records.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF TENNESSEE:

SECTION 1. Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 10-7-503(a)(7)(A), is amended by

deleting the language “or assess a charge.”

SECTION 2. Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 10-7-503(a)(2), is amended by

adding a new subdivision (D) to read as follows:

(D) If the time that is reasonably required to perform the activities that are

necessary to produce records pursuant to a request totals one (1) hour or longer, the

records custodian may require the requestor to pay the custodian’s actual labor costs

that are incurred in producing the requested material for inspection. For purposes of thissubdivision, “labor cost” is defined as the base hourly wages of any employees whose labor is reasonably necessary to locate, retrieve, review, redact, and copy records that have been requested multiplied by the number of hours that the employees were engaged in any such activities while producing records pursuant to a request.

SECTION 3. This act shall be effective upon becoming the law, the public welfare

requiring it.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

SENATE BILL 1951

By Overbey

HOUSE BILL 1875

By Todd

AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 10,

Chapter 7, Part 5, relative to the inspection of public records.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF TENNESSEE:

SECTION 1. Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 10-7-503(a)(7)(A), is amended by

deleting the language “or assess a charge.”

SECTION 2. Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 10-7-503(a)(2), is amended by

adding a new subdivision (D) to read as follows:

(D) If the time that is reasonably required to perform the activities that are

necessary to produce records pursuant to a request totals one (1) hour or longer, the

records custodian may require the requestor to pay the custodian’s actual labor costs

that are incurred in producing the requested material for inspection. For purposes of this subdivision, “labor cost” is defined as the base hourly wages of any employees whose labor is reasonably necessary to locate, retrieve, review, redact, and copy records that have been requested multiplied by the number of hours that the employees were engaged in any such activities while producing records pursuant to a request.

SECTION 3. This act shall be effective upon becoming the law, the public welfare requiring it.

 

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03-15-2011