Wisconsin lawmakers seek to clarify rules on seeing public-employee records

By The Associated Press

04.25.01

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MADISON, Wis. — Public employees' records would have more protections under a proposed change to the state's Open Records Law, a representative of state records custodians told a legislative committee yesterday.

Some state agencies are releasing information now, such as performance evaluations, that would be protected under proposed changes to the law, said Elizabeth Reinwald, legislative liaison for the state Department of Employee Relations.

The Open Records Law, passed in 1981, presumes all government records are public, with some exemptions, and explains procedures on providing copies.

Reinwald told the Assembly Committee on Personal Privacy that the legislation would end the confusion among state agencies over what information can be kept secret and what must be released to the public.

The bill is sponsored by Rep. Mike Powers, R-Albany, the privacy committee's chairman.

The confusion was started by a series of decisions in the 1990s by the Wisconsin Supreme Court, which ruled public employees could ask a judge to block the release of government records if the records would invade the employees' privacy or jeopardize their reputations.

Journalists have complained that the court decisions have made access to some records more difficult. It could be argued that any investigation of wrongdoing might lower the reputations of some publicly accountable employees.

Lawmakers are trying to establish guidelines on how and when employees could object to information being released, something the court decisions didn't outline.

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