Lawmakers Mull More Public Documents Changes

State lawmakers are convening a study committee to discuss potential changes to how local governments share documents with the public.

Last year, Marshfield Republican Rep. John Spiros sponsored a bill that changed requirements for the public posting of certain documents. It cut down on the number of public postings — things like meeting notices — required for local governments, as long as the government also put the document online.

Spiros says that new law spurred discussion about other potential changes and he’s now set to chair the study committee tasked with that discussion this summer. The goal, he said, is to streamline the process.

“That’s what I think we’re trying to do here: bring efficiency into government, more so, and cut the red tape,” said Spiros.

He was quick to point out, however, that the committee has nothing to do with open records. That’s been a contentious subject in the state Capitol recently, after legislators proposed and backed away from changes limiting public access last year.