|
"Let the people know the facts, and the country will be safe."
- President Abraham Lincoln, 1861
Top Secret
What the government doesn't want you to know:
Every year, the Florida Legislature passes new exemptions to the Public Records Law. After 9/11, the Federal government also began restricting more and more information from the public. It is important to monitor our lawmakers to ensure that our freedom of information rights are not taken away.
Florida voters have spoken by passing Constitutional Amendment Four, which was placed before voters in November of 2002. The amendment requires that for an exemption to pass, a two-thirds vote is required in both the House of Representatives and the Senate. After this amendment was passed, 2003 saw less exemptions passed than did the 2002 legislative session.
Below is a listing of some of the most recent exemptions to the Public Records Law. For a complete listing of all bills considered by congress, visit their website at http://www.leg.state.fl.us/.
2003 Exemptions:
Senate Bill 42-A: Credit scoring information
Senate Bill 2526: Putative father registry
House Bill 453: Victims of sexual offense
House Bill 1061: Food safety investigation
House Bill 1785: Paratransit services
2002 Exemptions:
Senate Bill 1222: Abandoned newborns
House Bill 543: Abandoned property records
House Bill 735: Security system plans
House Bill 777: Qualified defense tax refund program
House Bill 935: Identifying Information/Florida Retirement System
House Bill 1355: Insurance workpapers
House Bill 1487: Telecommunications service tax audits
House Bill 1673: Social Security numbers
House Bill 1767: Financial and identifying information