Mont. House State Administration Committee completed hearings Wed...
Mont. House State Administration Committee completed hearings Wed. on bill that would require state agencies to retain internal and external e-mail memos and letters as public record, just as they must do now with correspondence on paper. Measure (HB-112)…
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would clarify state open records law to include e-mail among agency records that must be retained and made available to public. Panel has until mid-Feb. to move bill. Measure also would make it crime to harass or threaten anyone via e-mail. Penalties would be same as for telephone harassment. State Rep. John Brueggeman (R- Polson), bill’s sponsor, said e-mail had become common method for conducting official state business, but effectively was exempt under current law from requirements that official correspondence be kept for public inspection. Other supporters cited incident last fall in which environmental group seeking internal memos from state Natural Resources Dept. to bolster case in timberland dispute discovered material had been deleted in routine purge of e-mail files. Supporters also said making e-mail harassment crime would close loophole in current law. No opponents spoke at hearing.