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Regional Journalism
Dispatches from public radio's correspondent at the Oregon Legislature. This is a venue for political and policy coverage of the state government in Salem and its impact on the people of Oregon.

Oregon Takes Another Crack At Overhauling Public Records Law

Oregon Attorney General's Office
Oregon Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum

Oregon Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum convened a task force Thursday that will consider overhauling the state's 40-year-old public records law.

There are now hundreds of exemptions that government agencies can cite when turning down a request for information from the public. Now a panel of state and local officials, lawyers and journalists are meeting to see if it's time to eliminate some of those exceptions.

Rosenblum told the group they don't need to re-write the entire law.

"It may not be the telephone book size proposals that have come before the legislature in the past and maybe have been a little overwhelming and haven't gone anywhere,” she said.

Rosenblum’s predecessor, John Kroger, tried to overhaul the law in 2011. The 77-page bill never received a vote.