Arizona bill would keep government officials’ electronic messages private
Jan 16, 2018, 2:23 PM
(Public Domain Photo)
(Public Domain Photo)
PHOENIX — A bill introduced in the Arizona House would keep electronic messages sent by government officials secret, so long as they were sent on a private device or account.
House Bill 2265 was sponsored by state Rep. Bob Thorpe, a Republican elected in Flagstaff. It would apply to any elected official and any “chief administrative officer, head, director, superintendent or chairman of any public body.”
According to the bill, a public body is defined as any government or organization that is supported — in whole or in part — by public money or a political subdivision.
Arizona law allows the public to request to see private messages on lawmakers’ devices, so long as they pertain to government business.
Thorpe’s bill would not only alter that portion of the law, but it would also let elected leaders keep some conversations related to official business secret, so long as they were conducted on a private device or account.
HB 2265 would apply to the personal social media and email accounts of government officials.
Dan Barr, a lawyer who works on public records cases, told the Arizona Republic that the bill would let officials “conduct public business outside of public view.”
The bill had yet to receive its first read in the Senate as of Tuesday afternoon.
