Oregon lawmakers are advancing a bill that would create more political distancing between the state’s public records advocate and the governor.
A budget subcommittee advanced Senate Bill 500 without comment Thursday, sending it to the Legislature’s Ways and Means Committee for a Friday vote. If approved, it would head to the Senate, then the House, for approval.
The bill would give the public records advocate more autonomy by designating both the officer and his or her office as independent, rather than chosen by the governor and housed under the organizational umbrella of the governor’s office.
The advocate helps mediate public records disputes and provides training for public employees on how to carry out both the letter and spirit of Oregon’s public records law. The person holding the job also sits on the Public Records Advisory Council, a panel that includes government officials, lawmakers and members of the media.
The current public records advocate, Todd Albert, supports the move to make the office independent from the governor.
In written testimony, Albert said the bill is an attempt to find “the best way for anyone serving in the role of Advocate to effectively carry out their duties without fear of undue political influence.”
One of Albert’s predecessors, Ginger McCall, resigned from the position in 2019 after accusing the governor’s staff of pressuring her to take their side on public records matters rather than maintaining independence.
Becky Chiao, who replaced McCall, also resigned from the job after journalists on the advisory council raised concerns about Chiao’s rejection of a proposal to make her job independent from the governor.
An organization that lobbies on behalf of reporters testified in support of the measure earlier this session.
“This is a good-government bill that saves government money, promotes collaboration between government and requesters, and builds public trust,” said Nick Budnick, who co-chairs the Freedom of Information committee of the Oregon chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists.
While the bill is advancing through the Legislature’s budget committee, a legislative analyst concluded that the measure would have a minimal fiscal impact since it deals with the organizational structure of the Office of the Public Records Advocate, but does not create any new positions.
Chris Lehman clehman@oregonian.com