College athletic departments in Georgia would have 90 days – instead of three – to respond to almost all open-records requests under a bill that has swept through the state’s legislature.
Lawmakers approved the exemption to the current law Tuesday night.
It was introduced by Republican Rep. Earl Ehrhart of Powder Springs, who said he wants to fend off competing athletic programs from other states that are looking for information about athletes being recruited by Georgia schools. Ehrhart said that during recruiting periods, schools are inundated with records requests, and at times, forced to hire additional staff to handle the workflow.
“This is not something that puts taxpayer dollars at risk,” he said. “We are just talking about recruiting information.”
Open records advocates blasted the proposed change. Continue…
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