From the Wilmington Star-News (2/23/13): State Sen. Thom Goolsby filed a bill Thursday that would criminalize violations of the open meetings and public records laws, meaning violators could face up to 20 days in jail.
Senate Bill 125, Public Meeting/Records Law Violations, is one of a series of bills he is working on dealing with government transparency, including closing a loophole exempting the North Carolina legislature from the state’s open records laws.
“I don’t have anything to hide,” said Goolsby, R-New Hanover. “When it comes to good government … I would want us all to be subjected to the same level of scrutiny.”
One planned bill would require governments to release a general description of the reason for any employee’s promotion, demotion, transfer, suspension or other change in position classification. The law would apply to state agencies, local boards of education, community college boards of trustees, county and city governments, and public authorities.