Two bills filed in the Arkansas Legislature would amend sections of the the state's Freedom of Information Act (Act 93 of 1967). One by Republican State Rep. Dan Douglas of Bentonville would add an exemption to public records available under the FOIA. The other, filed by State Rep. Nate Bell of Mena would set up a review process for executive sessions held by public agencies or commissions.
Rep. Douglas says his bill, HB1080, is intended to prevent ongoing academic research at public universities or community colleges from being disclosed to the public before the research is finished. He says it would prevent any data, prematurely organized, from becoming skewed by the public.
“And that's all it is, just to try and make sure we get the truth and nothing but the truth and all the data after it's fully tabulated,” says Douglas. Continue>>>
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