Government officials in Kentucky could discuss public business on their personal devices without having to disclose it according to a surprise amendment moving quickly through the state legislature.
A legislative committee amended House Bill 302 on Wednesday (3/21) to change the definition of public record to say it shall not include calls, text messages and emails if they are sent or received on a device paid for with private funds or a non-government email account.
Open government advocates compared it to former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton using a private server for her email, a practice also used by Republican presidential administrations.
Republican Senator Damon Thayer sponsored the amendment. He called it a privacy protection and said it was not his intent for officials to get around the state’s open records law.
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