The News Journal | June 14, 2021
by Sarah Gamard
The leading Democrat behind a bill seeking to give government officials more power to hide public documents from the public says she is pumping the brakes on the legislation after criticism over its potential repercussions.
“Out of respect to our shared interest in an open and transparent (government), I have paused this legislation to continue conversations,” Sen. Kyle Evans Gay, D-Talleyville, wrote in a Twitter thread Saturday.
“I believe we can find a solution that preserves the sanctity of our FOIA process while addressing its abuse.”
The change comes after the original article posted Friday by Delaware Online/The News Journal that included criticism of the bill from good-government advocates.
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But critics say it would allow government officials to withhold more receipts, emails and other documents that show the work of public officials and cover up things they do not want exposed simply by characterizing the request as unreasonable or burdensome.
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