The third reading vote on the Open Government Act, House Bill 1134 passes the House tonight with no additional debate. The vote is 107 – 5 with Reps. Leo Daughtry, R Johnston, Phil Haire, D Jackson, Annie Mobley, D Hertford, Russell Tucker, D Duplin, and Frank Iler, R Brunswick voting no.
Rep Bill Owens, D Pasquotank, said last week he hopes to “fix” the bill when it moves over to the Senate. Previously suggested “fixes” include allowing government agencies to recover legal fees and including attorneys representing local government opinions in those that could be relied upon when determining if records were indeed public and have to be released. Rumor has it that attempts to add the School of Government’s opinion to the list as well will be proposed when the bill moves over to the Senate.
Open government still has a long way to go. And yes, they should pay.
