Viewing public records in Tennessee is no easy task. That’s what a legislative subcommittee studying the issue of open records heard today.
Hedy Weinberg, ACLU’s Executive Director in Tennessee, told committee members that she believes one of the major flaws with the state’s open records law is requiring people to appear in person to view public records.
“A lot of people work 9-5 which are the exact hours that these county offices are open. So, we’re clearly, intentionally or not, and certainly the perception is that it is intentional, we’re creating blocks, obstacles, so that Joe Q. Citizen can not get records.”
Weinberg wants legislators to consider changing the law to allow some public records to be mailed. She said that since county resources are often limited, she’d be willing to support mailing records that were easy to find instead of sending officials on what she termed a “fishing expedition.”
The other flaws include requiring proof of Tennessee citizenship before gaining access to records, charging an access fee to copy records, and waiting for an indefinite period of time for a request to be fulfilled.
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