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SALT LAKE CITY -- A prominent state lawmaker is asking the state legislature to repeal HB477, a recently-passed law that will restrict the public's access to certain types of government information, like voice mails and text messages.
Rep. Carl Wimmer, R-Herriman, said Wednesday he believes GRAMA laws need to be changed, but he doesn't believe HB477 is the right law for that. He said he compared current GRAMA laws to the effect HB477 would have on open record laws after he voted for the bill.
"Quite frankly, I came down on the side of opposing the bill and opposing the concept as a whole. That's simply it. I had a change of heart," Wimmer said.
He voted against the bill when it was recalled.
"The reason I changed my mind is based on policy issues," Wimmer said. "This is not a good policy. House Bill 477 is not a good policy."
Wimmer says he never received any pressure from House Speaker Rebecca Lockhart to vote for the bill. When asked why he didn't take a closer look into how the bill would affect GRAMA laws before he voted for it, he said he believes current laws do need to be changed to strike a better balance between transparency and privacy.
E-mail: pnelson@ksl.com
