Ridiculous. I think that is the only way that I can describe the new open records laws in the state of Georgia.
This is a travesty for the public. Not only can you not give relevant information to the public and possibly shed light on wrongdoing in a timely manner, but now you face the risk of not being able to get information out when it’s still on the public’s minds. Ten days might have been okay, maybe even 20, but 90. That’s a 3,000 percent increase.
The institutions have entirely too much power now. Cover ups are easier and shady and deceptive acts are all too enticing. I am not saying institutions would do that, but the ability to do has increased. 90 days is a lot of time just for a response. And that is just for a response. They can take another 90 days just to actually give you the information. What part of this makes sense?
Oh, and it’s just supposedly to prevent institutions outside of Georgia from seeing who the Universities of Georgia are recruiting. Just go recruit the kid instead of worrying about other schools.
I think it is even more frightening to the degree that our politicians make back-alley deals with each other. This new open records rule was passed on the back of another bill. The amendment was quietly added to existing legislation designed to restrict public access to records about Georgia’s economic development projects.
First off, I don’t even know what that means, but I do know that this part of the bill was added after Kirby Smart visited the Georgia state capital. Sounds fishy right?