New FOIA bill would make it harder for the public to access information, records

New FOIA bill would make it harder for the public to access information, records

West Virginia lawmakers are expanding their rewrite of the state’s Freedom of Information Act, further undermining the law that allows the public to know what their government is doing. It began with House Speaker Roger Hanshaw, R-Clay, proposing House Bill 3412 to exempt the Legislature from West Virginia’s public records law. He argued that it is a good idea for lawmakers to write a separate rule to exclude at least some legislative records fr…