Face the State

Face The State Editorial

Rep. Alice Madden, D-Boulder, is the second legislator in as many weeks to cancel plans to make sweeping changes to the state's open-records law. That's good news. But what's driving these assaults on transparent government?

First came HB 1332 ("Marshall's Bill Would Shut Legislative Door to Ordinary Citizens," Feb. 26), a measure backed by Rep. Rosemary Marshall, D-Denver, which would have significantly restricted the number and scope of legislative documents subject to public review. That proposed legislation fell apart last week before it was ever heard in committee, due in large part to fierce opposition from newspapers and the loss of a key GOP co-sponsor.

But from the ashes of HB 1332 rose Madden's proposal, which addressed separate issues but would have even broader affects on citizens' access to all state government documents, not just those in the lawmakers' possession.

It doesn't take much to identify serious problems with key aspects of Madden's plan. Watchdog groups and the media would have lost access to key documents such as reimbursement requests on the basis they contain personal information such as social security and credit card numbers. Currently, those documents are released after protected personal information is redacted. Should Madden have her way, those documents, in their entirety, would be withheld. Basic budget-watchdog reporting as practiced by Face The State and other news organizations would be made nearly impossible.

But blocking public knowledge of government activity is precisely the goal behind both proposals. Madden complained to the Denver Post legislators received 36 open-records requests in 2007, a number she considers burdensome. We suspect it's not the number of requests that matters here - 36 requests in a year for 100 legislators is small potatoes - but the fact Madden must reveal anything to the public is what really bothers her.

Madden told the Post open-records requests drain state resources and are a waste of taxpayer dollars. The irony in her statement is too sweet. As Face The State's recent reporting on the shameful financial waste at the Colorado Department of Education demonstrates all too well, it's government fraud and waste that should concern lawmakers, not the important statutory rule used to uncover it.