CHARLOTTE, N.C. — As North Carolina lawmakers redraw district maps, a new provision in the recently passed state budget will keep much of what happens behind the scenes off-limits to the public.
"Prior to the passage of this law, we could see communications that lawmakers had about that process and documents that they receive about drafting maps and all of the ingredients to this critical aspect of our representative democracy," Brooks Fuller, executive director of the North Carolina Open Government Coalition, said.
Fuller's group has advocated against the new measure, which largely leaves it to lawmakers in the General Assembly to decide what is disclosed publicly.
Traditionally, the public and the press can make a public records request to uncover documentation like emails and correspondence among legislators.
"Public records are the property of the people," Fuller said, adding, "It's one of the only ways that we can find out for ourselves what the truth is and what's happening in government. So, we're entitled to them and we deserve them."
Fuller said North Carolina is one of only a few states that exempt state lawmakers from a public records act.
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