WAUWATOSA, Wis. — Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker said Saturday that he wants his fellow Republicans who control the Legislature to remove or significantly rein in a facet of the proposed state budget that would severely roll back the state’s open records laws.
The restrictions, which Republicans on the Legislature’s Joint Finance Committee slipped into the proposed budget late Thursday, would exempt nearly everything created by state and local government officials from Wisconsin’s open records law, including drafts of legislation and staff communications. It has drawn heavy criticism from liberals and conservatives, and was the subject of a withering front-page editorial in Saturday’s Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
Walker, who is expected to formally announce his candidacy for the GOP presidential nomination on July 13, told reporters before an Independence Day parade in the Milwaukee suburb of Wauwatosa on Saturday that he’ll discuss the matter with legislative leaders after the weekend, the Journal Sentinel reported.
“My hope is, that after talking with them on Monday, we get to the point where it’s either out completely or there’s significant changes to it,” he said.
The Republican governor said he has “a lot of concerns” about the open records proposal, but he stopped short of saying he would veto it if lawmakers don’t scale it back. The full Legislature, and Walker, would have to sign off on any changes before they become law. He also didn’t specifically say whether he and his office were involved in crafting the proposed changes or whether he objected to them in advance, or specifically say who proposed the overhaul.
“Again, those are all things we’ll talk about on Monday. We’ll talk about what we’re doing going forward. There’s all sorts of ideas that float around the Capitol before the end of the Joint Finance Committee process,” he said. “But, I think it’s pretty clear that lawmakers from both parties, as well as others, want to make sure there’s changes. And we’re going to make sure that happens, starting with that meeting on Monday.”
Walker’s comments were echoed by some Republican legislators Saturday, including two who voted for the changes just two days earlier.
Sen. Alberta Darling, R-River Hills, co-chairwoman of the powerful budget committee, said they are now “working to eliminate” the open records limits.
“We are going to get rid of that,” Darling said at Fox Point’s Fourth of July parade.
And Rep. Dale Kooyenga, R-Brookfield, said at Wauwatosa’s parade that lawmakers were working on changes.
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