Chief sponsor of GRAMA bill says he wanted more time

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UTAH COUNTY -- The Highland Republican who was the chief sponsor of a bill critics claim will gut Utah's current open records law is now suggesting he wanted HB477 to come about in a different way.

Though Rep. John Dougall continued to defend the bill, signed into law by Gov. Gary Herbert, he told KSL Saturday that he would have liked to have more time.

"From day one, I have always tried to talk about a working group," Dougall said.

Volunteers for "Repeal House Bill 477" sat outside the Utah County Republican meeting Saturday, trying to gather signatures. The group needs 96,372 signatures in a little more than a month.

Earlier this month, when Dougall was questioned by a fellow lawmaker as to why the bill was being "rushed" through, he replied, "I guess I wouldn't say, ‘what's the rush?' I'd say ‘what's the delay?'"

At Saturday's Utah County Republican meeting, Dougall told KSL he is advocating talking, tweaking and ultimately changing HB477 -- which is scheduled to go into effect July 1.

The fast-tracked law makes most electronic communications private, increase fees for public records, and expands the wait time to get them.

"I never said this was the end," Dougall said.

But three volunteers shivering in the morning's cold outside the meeting said they hoped it was.

"We're trying to collect signatures to get this on the ballot so we can repeal this bill, which limits access to knowledge," said Eugene Mead, a volunteer with "Repeal House Bill 477."

The three said they'd gotten more than 200 signatures in a just a few hours, mainly from the Republicans attending the Utah County meeting. The volunteers are few in a statewide effort to collect 96,372 signatures in a little more than a month to repeal the sweeping changes to GRAMA the Legislature made and the governor signed.

"The way the thing is written they can just about cover up anything," Mead said.

The "Repeal House Bill 477" group will be holding several more petition signing events this week.

Sunday: