DENVER (AP) - A state Senate committee on Wednesday defeated a bill that was designed to bring Colorado’s open records law into the 21st century by requiring government agencies to release public records in their original spreadsheet or other computer-friendly formats.
The bill was intended to speed the delivery, lower the cost and make it easier for the public to search state and municipal databases, rather than have to pore through printed documents that agencies often try to charge exorbitant sums for retrieval and copying.
More than 15 states and the federal government have made it easier for the public to obtain and analyze computerized government data that, for example, can include crime statistics, sales tax rates, budgets or salaries. User-friendly formats include Microsoft Excel and other programs.
But the Republican majority on the State, Veterans and Military Affairs Committee expressed security concerns about databases that are transmitted electronically to the public. The panel voted 3-2.
Some wondered if confidential information redacted from records could be restored using so-called metadata. Others worried about hackers accessing sensitive information, such as student records or proprietary business information, during electronic delivery.
Republican Sen. Jerry Sonnenberg of Sterling offered to work with the bill’s sponsor, Sen. John Kefalas, to address security concerns and, ultimately, get an updated information act into law. Kefalas, a Fort Collins Democrat, said after the hearing he would take Sonnenberg up on his offer and, possibly, seek new legislation this session.
Some Colorado agencies do provide computerized information, but there is no requirement to do so. The bill, also sponsored by Democratic Rep. Dan Pabon of Denver, provides that confidential information, such as Social Security numbers, be deleted prior to release.
The bill was intended “to provide the people of this state access to public records they’ve paid to have created and maintained by government agencies, and in same format they’ve paid to create and maintain them,” said attorney Steven Zansberg, president of the Colorado Freedom of Information Coalition.
The coalition, the Colorado Press Association, the Colorado Broadcasters Association and other groups backed the bill.
Last year, Colorado State University refused to provide a computerized database of employee salaries to the Coloradoan newspaper. CSU said the newspaper could inspect documents containing nearly 5,000 employee salaries. The Coloradoan spent weeks creating its own database to produce a comprehensive report on pay equity and other salary issues at the university.
This month, The Denver Post reported that the Marijuana Enforcement Division of the Colorado Department of Revenue would not provide a comprehensive list of marijuana business owners and their businesses - even though the division did provide the newspaper a computer database of medical marijuana business owners in 2013.
The city of Denver, in contrast, quickly released computerized information about who owned marijuana business licenses, the Post reported.
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Senate Bill 16-037: https://bit.ly/1Ov9OY9
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