The new project keeps it simple. When proposed legislation could affect the public’s right to know, the Utah Transparency Project will give the bill an up or down rating. Bills that increase access will get a green “open door” rating. Those that decrease public access will get a red “locked down” rating.
Attorney Michael Judd says the new project is an effort of the Utah Media Coalition, which is made up of Utah newspapers, websites and TV and radio stations.
The Transparency Project, Judd says, is an update of an earlier effort called GRAMA Watch, which came about because of a legislative attempt to curtail the state’s open records and meetings laws 13 years ago.
The Government Records Access and Management Act, known as GRAMA, was first adopted more than 30 years ago. It established classifications of records and set out an appeals process that allows people to petition the government for access to protected information.
In 2011, Judd says there was an ill-fated effort by the Utah Legislature to change the law, severely limiting public records access by exempting electronic communications of legislators. It caused such a public uprising that even though the law was passed, within a matter of days, lawmakers repealed it.
“With that concern in mind, the rules about what the public could know about governmental processes could suddenly be changed, the Utah Media Coalition decided it was important to keep track of what was going on up there at the hill so that we could let the public know what was changing and what may happen during that legislative session that would change the public's ability to access information about the way the government does the public's work,” Judd said.
One bill that’s been given the open-door rating is a bill that would expand certain kinds of access to the state’s sex offender website that would allow people to search not only by a name but also a phone number.
“If you found you know, a child who was texting a phone number that you didn't know who it was, you could search that website,” he said. “That, for example, would give the public more information about what was going on.”
A closed-door rating was given to a bill that proposes changes to the Utah Public Meetings Act. It would make fewer discussions between lawmakers available to the public.
“We do know in the past that this type of effort has often been successful, but when members of the public unite and let their legislators know we are not OK with any sort of change,” Judd said. “I mean, this is a uniquely bipartisan issue, right? Wherever someone is on the political spectrum, everyone shares the belief that they would like to be able to know what politicians and governmental entities are doing, supposedly, on their behalf.”
Utah reporters are the ones monitoring the bills and flag them for a possible ranking. The public can follow along on the social media app X by searching @UTTransparency.
