Taking Aim at the FOI — Again (Editorial)

Arkansas State Capitol (Shutterstock)

Arkansas ranks low on many measures of well-being and good governance. But one of the bright spots on the landscape has been the state’s robust Freedom of Information Act.

Now, some Arkansas lawmakers want to weaken the FOI Act and the public’s right to know what their local government officials are doing by changing the definition of a “public meeting.”

Currently, a public meeting has been considered to be taking place when more than one local government official — city council, quorum court and school board members, for example — meet to discuss government business. But a bill proposed by state Rep. Mary Bentley, R-Perryville, would define a public meeting as one in which more than two members of a local government body meet. State Sen. Alan Clark, R-Lonsdale, is sponsoring an identical bill in the state Senate.

Joey McCutchen, a Fort Smith lawyer and FOI defender, described the bill as “an end-run, a loophole that will destroy public meetings.” He’s not wrong.

The FOI Act faces challenges during almost every legislative session because some in government prefer secrecy. These latest proposals are bad bills that will make it harder to know what our government, funded by our money, is doing.