The Indiana Publisher

Page 2 January 2022 HSPA Board of Directors HSPA Foundation Board Members Alan Achkar, South Bend Tribune Bill Hackney, e La Porte County Herald-Dispatch (Michigan City) and e Rochester Sentinel Don Hurd, Hoosier Media Group Gillian Kelk, Sullivan Daily Times Brenda McLane, Hometown Media Group Mark Miller, e News-Banner (Bluon) Kathy Tretter, Ferdinand News and Spencer County Leader (Rockport) HSPA Board Members Nathan Feltman, Indianapolis Business Journal Bud Hunt, AIM Media Indiana Curt Kovener, e Crothersville Times Robert Shegog, Indianapolis Recorder Chris White, e Times Media Co. HSPA Board of Directors HSPA Officers President: Larry Hensley, e Hoosier Times HSPA Foundation Board of Directors HSPA Foundation Officers President: Robyn McCloskey, CNHI HSPA Staff Steve Key, executive director, general counsel skey@hspa.com (317) 803-4772 Amelia McClure, government relations counsel skey@hspa.com (317) 803-4772 Pamela Lego, director of operations plego@hspa.com (812) 350-7711 Shawn Goldsby, business manager sgoldsby@hspa.com (317) 803-4772 Ruth Witmer, communications specialist news@hspa.com (812) 855-5898 press conference. S.B. 117 (Sen. Kyle Walker, R-Indianapolis) would require the police to redact the names of youths who are victims of crime from the daily police log or report and juvenile court records. Current law protects the identities of any victim of a sex crime. HSPA questions why this legislation is being pursued. Only example given is a story in the South Bend Tribune that points out that local officials were not complying with the current law by redacting the names of young crime victims. S.B. 212 (Sen. Jim Tomes R-Wadesville) would make confidential in public records the addresses of firefighters. HSPA questions the rationale for this restriction. Current positions with this restriction are law enforcement or judicial officers who face threats to themselves or their family. S.B. 233 (Sen. Greg Walker, D-Indianapolis) would prohibit a court from disclosing information about an eviction action if the tenant prevails or in other specified circumstances. HSPA believes this will make this type of judicial action more difficult to monitor. Transparency bills H.B. 1080 (Rep. Dave Abbott, R-Rome City) would require government units give the public the opportunity to speak on agenda items. It also would require agendas be posted on those units' websites in advance of a meeting. HSPA has reached out to Rep. Abbott to suggest some tweaks to his original language. H.B. 1130 (Rep. Tim O'Brien, R-Evansville) also would require state and local governing bodies to hear oral testimony from the public. O'Brien's bill isn't as com- prehensive as Rep. Abbott's H.B. 1080. S.B. 237 (Sen. Kevin Boehnlein, R-Greenville) would require government units to post meeting notices on their websites. This requirement could be satisfied with a Facebook posting. S.B. 83 (Sen. Jean Leising, R-Oldenburg) would require public and charter school boards to allow public comment at meetings. I would also limit virtual meetings by those bodies. S.B. 396 (Sen. Jim Tomes, R-Wadesville) would require school and library boards to give the public a reasonable opportunity to speak to agenda items and that those boards post their agenda on their websites. H.B. 1309 (Rep. Chuck Moseley, D-Portage) would make it a felony for a public official to tamper with an official video or audio recording of a public meeting. HSPA would suggest Rep. Moseley's language include copies of the record- ings, which would be what citizen requests under the Access to Public Records Act would receive. H.B. 1290 (Rep. Ryan Lauer, R-Columbus) would limit when governing bodies can hold a virtual meeting during a declared disaster emergency. H.B. 1411 (Rep. Curt Nisly, R-Milford) would add restric- tions on the exception to the Open Door Law for a caucus. HSPA would want to make sure Rep. Nisly's bill doesn't inadvertently close the door on the public when there are political caucuses called to fill vacancies for elected positions. S.B. 64 (Sen. Jon Ford, R-Terre Haute) would add more information in child fatality reports from the state Department of Child Services, concerning the DCS's past involvement in those cases. H.B. 1247 (Rep. Ryan Lauer, R-Columbus) would, similarly to S.B. 64, add more information in child fatality reports from the state DCS concerning its involvement with the children. H.B. 1096 (Rep. Tim Wesco, R-Osceola) would require greater transparency concerning incentives received locally from the Indiana Economic Development Corporation and Indiana Destination Development Corporations among other information. Access Continued from Page 1 e Indiana Publisher is published monthly by the Hoosier State Press Association, 429 E. Vermont St. #206 Indianapolis, Indiana 46202 Walker Nisly Moseley Questions? Contact the HSPA Legal Hotline. HSPA Executive Director & General Counsel Steve Key is available to answer your questions about the Open Door Law, access to documents & more. Email skey@hspa.com or call (317) 624-4427.

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