Wisconsin board’s records action appears to have violated open meetings law

An obscure board overseeing state public records gave so little notice of a move to sharply limit electronic records that it appears to have violated the state's open meetings law, attorneys and open records advocates say.

The changes have already had an impact — they were used by Gov. Scott Walker's administration as a reason not to release records just one day after the action was quietly taken in August by the Public Records Board, which oversees the preservation and handling of government records.

On Aug. 25, the day after the board's vote, the Walker administration denied a records request from a newspaper for text messages, saying officials do not have to retain such "transitory messages." Continue…

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