On Friday, Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders called the Arkansas General Assembly into a special session that started today and is expected to last through Wednesday.
Sanders said Friday she will ask the Legislature to convene to cut income taxes, ban vaccine mandates for state employees, and curtail the availability of certain state government records to the public.
The state ended its fiscal year in July with a surplus of more than $1 billion, and according to the Arkansas Advocate, state leaders had planned to wait until the 2024 fiscal session to take action on tax relief.
However, the Advocate noted public scrutiny over Sanders’ travel expenses and a rise in COVID numbers helped push the earlier-than-expected scheduling for the session.
In calling the session, Sanders said “government bureaucrats” have used the pandemic to trample on the constitutional rights of citizens, and the Arkansas Freedom of Information Act is being weaponized to endanger her family’s security and bog down state governments.
The Advocate says a bill filed Friday proposes the addition of four new exemptions to the Arkansas Freedom of Information Act:
- Records that reflect the planning or provision of security services provided to the Governor and other state elected officials.
- Records revealing the deliberative process of state agencies, boards, or commissions.
- Records prepared by an attorney representing an elected or appointed state officer, a state employee, or a state agency, board, or commission in anticipation of litigation or for use in pending litigation.
- Records created or received by an elected or appointed state officer, a state employee, or a state agency, board, or commission that would be covered by attorney-client privilege.
Sanders said the proposed changes are about safety and government efficiency.
“Some are weaponizing FOIA and taking advantage of our laws to hamper state government and enrich themselves,” she said. “They don’t care about transparency. They want to waste taxpayer dollars, slow down our bold, conservative agenda, and, frankly, put my family’s lives at stake.”
According to the Advocate, experts disagree. John Tull, a Little Rock attorney and expert on the Arkansas Freedom of Information Act, said the proposal is too broad, too vague, and bad public policy. He also questioned whether the problem the legislation purports to address is urgent enough to warrant a special session or an emergency clause.
“This bill shoots a large hole in the Arkansas Freedom of Information Act.” said Tull, who is also a member of Arkansas Attorney General Tim Griffin’s Freedom of Information Act working group.
Click here to read the entire article by Hunter Field from the Arkansas Advocate.
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