House Bill 315 and its companion in the Senate is a top legislative priority for the Tennessee School Boards Association. Before pulling the bill, McDaniel kept the idea of new public records fees alive by saying the Office of Open Records Counsel has agreed to conduct public hearings in conjunction with the Advisory Committee on Open Government this summer on the proposal, and make a recommendation on the bill by January 2016.
Ann Butterworth is the open records counsel who would be in charge of making the final recommendation, according to McDaniel’s comments. Although McDaniel indicated discussions and hearings would include members of the Advisory Committee on Open Government. The advisory committee has 14 members and 3 ex-officio members, including the chairs of the Senate State and Local Government Committee and House State Government Committee.
The Tennessee Coalition on Open Government has a seat on the advisory committee, as do other civic groups such as the League of Women Voters and representatives from government such as the Tennessee School Boards Association and Tennessee Municipal League. Continue>>>
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