Originally published June 22 2005
Legislators consider blocking emails between lawmakers and constituents from public view
by Mike Adams, the Health Ranger, NaturalNews Editor
Worried about the privacy of their emails, legislators on a task force assigned to refine the state's public records law recently suggested not allowing public viewing of emails between lawmakers and constituents, and defining emails as "transitory" materials, which would make them exempt from the Government Records Access and Management Act, reports the Salt Lake Tribune.
On Tuesday, some legislators on a task force assigned to refine the state's public records law suggested blocking public access to all e-mails between lawmakers and to and from constituents.
"You ought to be able to speak your mind and not worry about being on the front page of the Washington Post the next day," Lehi Republican Sen.
Changes in technology - voicemail, instant messaging and e-mails - have forced Utah lawmakers to reconsider the definition of a public "record" in the state's Government Records Access and Management Act.
At the task force meeting, lawmakers debated whether the content of an e-mail was more important than the informal approach of such electronic letters.
They considered defining e-mails as "transitory" material not subject to GRAMA.
And they reviewed laws from other states such as Colorado and New Jersey, which classify all e-mail as confidential based on the sender's expectation of privacy.
They worry about stifling candor between colleagues, violating their constituents' expectations of privacy and the headache of sorting through their hundreds of e-mails.
Bountiful Republican Rep. Ann Hardy worried about sorting and saving the scores of constituent e-mails she receives each year.
I don't even like to do it."
And Madsen worries about exposing his thoughts, or those of his constituents.
"Anybody who communicates with me runs the risk of having that communication subject to GRAMA," Madsen said.
"It almost seems like all your com- munication is compromised."
Salt Lake County Recorder Gary Ott told lawmakers his office distinguishes between e-mails that are "documents" and e-mails that are "conversations" - saving those that they consider documents.
But Society of Professional Journalists lobbyist Joel Campbell urged lawmakers to proceed cautiously before trying to separate the two.
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