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
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CONTACT INFORMATION
Senator Randy
McNally Phone (865) 483-5544 Nashville address301 6th Avenue North |
Rep. Jimmy Matlock190 Matlock Road, LC TN 37771Phone?Nashville address301 6th Avenue North
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Senator Ken Yager Phone (865) 285-9797 Nashville address 301 6th Avenue North EMAIL: sen.ken.yager@capitol.tn.gov |
Rep. Julia Hurley
119 Lee Drive
Lenoir City, TN 37771 Phone ? Nashville address:301 6th Avenue
North
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Senator Doug Overbey Phone (865) 681-8236 Nashville address301 6th Avenue North 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. |
03-15-2011
03-15-2011