Report: 538 Public Records Exemptions in Tennessee Law

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — A report shows there are 538 exemptions to Tennessee’s public records law, about six times as many as there were three decades ago.

According to the state comptroller’s office, the Tennessee Public Records Act only had two statutory exceptions when it was enacted in 1957. By 1988, a legislative committee reported there were 89 exceptions.

The report Tuesday by the comptroller’s Office of Open Records Counsel described 538 exceptions in Tennessee Code. The report doesn’t include other exceptions that may be in Tennessee court rules, federal law, common law or agency rules. Read more…