Effort to water down Wisconsin transparency legislation dropped from budget in win for open government: Democracy, elections, voting at Democracy Chronicles

Expected 2016 Republican presidential candidate and Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker backtracked on legislation that would have restricted open records access amid harsh backlash from critics in the last two days, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported Saturday. The open records law was part of a broader state budget plan currently being considered. A joint finance committee for…

Backlash over Wisconsin GOP plan to tighten open records law MADISON, Wis. (AP) – Opposition mounted Friday to a surprise Republican budget measure that would exempt from Wisconsin open records laws nearly everything created by state and local government officials, including drafts of legislation and communications with staff. The 24-page measure passed late Thursday night in…