The Fight Against HB477

A rally took place yesterday at the Utah capital in hopes of repealing HB477 which pushes changes to Government Records Access and Management Act (GRAMA) after being introduced just three days ago.

UTAH LEAGUE OF INDEPENDENT VOTERS

• Groups launch petition drive to repeal HB477 (Deseret News) HB477 largely exempts the Legislature and several forms of electronic communication from GRAMA, increases fees for records requests and removes language favoring openness…… Participants who spoke at the rally or are listed as opposing the bill included the Utah League of Women Voters, Utah Foundation for Open Government, the American Civil Liberties Union, Utahns for Ethical Government, the Utah Democratic Party, Heal Utah, the Utah League of Independent Voters, Utah Moms for Clean Air, Common Cause and the tea party. The Society of Professional Journalists is also opposing the bill, though no media organizations spoke at the rally.
• INDEPENDENT PUTS STATE POLITICIANS FOR SALE ONLINE (by Damon Eris, CAIVN) Bidding opened early last Friday on an eBay auction for Utah State Sen. Jerry Stevenson. The seller was Randy Miller, founder and president of the Utah League of Independent Voters. Judging from the original listing, which has since been deleted by eBay, Miller was not confident that he would find a buyer. Indeed, he even warned: “Buyer beware. This toy is broken. I wish it would be recalled. It is a representative that does not represent.” The opening price for Sen. Stevenson was just one penny, and the seller stated that he would even consider a simple trade for a representative that represents the people of its district rather than the interests of its party.