JEFFERSON CITY — Missouri’s Sunshine law requires government officials and entities to disclose information sought by the public, but there are many exceptions to what they must release. Rep. Bill Falkner, a St. Joseph Republican, wants to add yet another to the list.
“My sole purpose was to protect the students’ information when they register for recreational social activities for events sponsored by a public government body, such as cities, towns, villages or park boards,” Falkner said.
Falkner originally filed a bill that included exceptions for constituent information shared with government bodies and for records housed in lawmakers’ offices. But at a House committee hearing Tuesday, he said the original language in his bill was filed in error.
According to an amendment shared at the hearing, governments could refuse to disclose: “Any portion of a record that contains individually identifiable information of any person who registers for a recreational or social activity or event sponsored by a public governmental body, if such public governmental body is a city, town, village or fiduciary park board.”
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Falkner’s intention is to protect the information of students who participate in government-sponsored activities and that of their parents. But the language is broad, and governments could refuse to disclose the names and contact information of anyone registered for a local government-sponsored event.
Pat Kelly, executive director of the Municipal League of Metro Ƶ, said several cities had raised the issue years ago.
“They had student advisory boards that participated in city activities, and they realized that their contact information was sunshine-able.”
Missouri Press Association attorney Jean Maneke at the hearing said there would no longer be accountability as to who is using public services.
The children who use services are an indication of a program’s popularity and need for funding, Maneke said.
Maneke also raised that concern that as the legislative process progresses, the bill could become a vehicle for adding other provisions “that harm the public interest.”
After the hearing, however, Falkner told the Post-Dispatch that he would fight against any efforts to add additional provisions.
“I don’t want to muddy the waters because I think this is an important issue,” Falkner said.
Since voters approved a 2018 change to Missouri’s ethics rules that made lawmaker records subject to the state’s Sunshine law, there have been regular efforts to limit the information they are required to disclose.
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