Yesterday, two Republican delegates introduced bills (see below) that apparently have no other purpose than to exempt their special friends/pet projects from Virginia's Freedom of Information Act. In the first case, it's Terry Kilgore and tobacco. In the second case, it's Chris Jones and the Virginia Port Authority. Now why would anyone be against a law - FOIA - that expressly:
...ensures the people of the Commonwealth ready access to public records in the custody of a public body or its officers and employees, and free entry to meetings of public bodies wherein the business of the people is being conducted
Also, how can anyone be against the sentiments expressed herein?
The affairs of government are not intended to be conducted in an atmosphere of secrecy since at all times the public is to be the beneficiary of any action taken at any level of government. Unless a public body or its officers or employees specifically elect to exercise an exemption provided by this chapter or any other statute, every meeting shall be open to the public and all public records shall be available for inspection and copying upon request. All public records and meetings shall be presumed open, unless an exemption is properly invoked.
Terry Kilgore (R-1)/HB 1456:
Freedom of Information Act; record exemption for the Tobacco Indemnification and Community Revitalization Commission. Exempts proprietary records of the Tobacco Indemnification and Community Revitalization Commission from the mandatory disclosure requirements of the Freedom of Information Act.
S. Chris Jones (R-76)/HB 1467
Freedom of Information Act; open meeting exemption; Virginia Port Authority. Grants an exemption from the open meeting provisions of the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) for discussions of proprietary information gathered by or for the Virginia Port Authority concerning rates and rate structures and shipments of coal from Virginia's ports. Currently, the Virginia Port Authority is not required to release records relating to same under FOIA.
Am I missing something here? Does anyone know of a legitimate reason for exempting these agencies from FOIA? If not, I guess we can just call these "Chris' and Terry's anti-sunshine bills."