Governor Brown Calls For Audit of State's Public Records Process
(SALEM, Ore) — Governor Brown today announced a series of legislative proposals to review and reform statewide public records and ethics policies.
"Oregon's government belongs to its people, and an informed, engaged populace is essential to democracy," Governor Brown said. "Another essential element is trust, and rebuilding that trust begins now. These reforms are designed to ensure the timely fulfillment of public records requests, to hold public officials accountable, and foster a culture of transparency."
Governor Brown will propose three bills: One bill calls for the Secretary of State to conduct an audit of how state agencies process and produce public records, providing factual information about agency protocols and other issues such as cost, response time, compliance with current rules and laws, and staffing resources. The audit will inform future action Governor Brown may take, either through law changes or executive order, to implement best practices across all agencies.
Two other bills focus on strengthening ethics laws through clarification of the roles and requirements of the First Spouse/Partner, statewide elected officers and the Governor’s advisors, and increasing penalties for knowingly using public office for private gain. In addition, the Governor proposes reforms to the composition and processes of the Ethics Commission.
Download details of legislative proposals and public records demand.
When Governor Brown took office in mid-February, three separate investigations of the former Governor, the First Lady, and the Governor's Office were underway. Those inquiries and other requests for public records from the media and public have necessitated the production and review of more than a million public records, currently underway.
Since taking office on February 18, Governor Brown's office has received 34 public records requests, 12 of which have been processed and closed. Between October 1, 2014 and 10 a.m. on February 18, Governor Kitzhaber's office received 207 public records requests, about half of which have been processed and closed.
Source: Gov. Kate Brown's Office
