Public Records

Sunshine Week, observed each year in mid-March, aims to shine a national spotlight on these regulations that entitle Americans to information about government at all levels.

Before Missouri voters have the chance to enshrine the right to an abortion, Republican lawmakers might pass legislation aimed at making it harder to amend the state constitution. Another bill would close off public access to legislative records.

The Speaker of the Missouri House is taking heat — especially from some in his own Republican party — for double-dipping on travel expense reimbursements. What does the flare-up tell us about the state of the Missouri GOP and next year’s fast approaching elections?

The attorney general’s office says it has five staffers working on the Sunshine Law backlog and a policy of not charging fees for processing requests. But the first come, first serve strategy has meant hundreds of requests wait in limbo for months — even years.

The lawsuit paints a picture of a city government that resists releasing public information and takes requests for records as an affront. It also outlines several instances where Kansas City Hall failed to promptly release records or even respond, as they're required to under Missouri law.

Missourians seeking public records from the office of Attorney General Andrew Bailey face delays that can stretch up to a year. The situation is especially problematic for the office in charge of enforcing Missouri’s Sunshine Law, which ensures the public has access to government records and meetings.

A judge ruled that the Missouri Attorney General’s office “knowingly and purposefully” violated the state’s open records law while it was being run by now-U.S. Sen. Josh Hawley. The motivation for breaking the law, the judge concluded, was concern that releasing the records could harm Hawley’s campaign.

Eric Schmitt’s office appears to be targeting the journalistic fact-checking process and research into social emotional learning at the University of Missouri, but has offered little public explanation for the requests. Free speech advocates say it's a “shocking” overstep of his authority.

Though the change was approved in late June, it will not take effect until July 2023. That gives court officials time to make sure the computer system can handle the traffic, and to reinforce the importance of redacting personal or sensitive information.

Lawmakers argued the change was needed to ensure donors can maintain privacy while giving to causes they believe in.

The state of Missouri is defending itself with an argument that could deliver "fatal blows" to the Sunshine Law: As long as officials don’t bother to keep records in the first place, they can’t be held responsible for refusing to turn them over to the public.

During the 2022 legislative session, Gov. Mike Parson’s office is pushing for a bill that would increase the costs of obtaining records from the government.