Lawmakers routinely attempt to make it illegal to publish public information about public officials. We expect similar legislation to return in 2023.
During the 2022 legislative sessions, lawmakers promoted Senate Bill 63 to make it illegal to publish public information about public officials. Simply tweeting "Governor Andy Beshear lives at the Governor's Mansion" would have been illegal if SB63 had become law. It would have also required people and publishers to remove any information about public officials that was shared in the past. This would greatly restrict the free speech rights of all Kentuckians, researchers, and journalists.
Bills like Senate Bill 63 would restrict Kentuckians’ freedom of speech and make it impossible for local news outlets to report accurate information about some of the highest-ranking government officials in the commonwealth. This proposal would prohibit all people from publishing or posting “personally identifiable information” about some public officials.
Under bills like SB63, it would be illegal for a local reporter to share information about a judge’s actions in their local courtroom because that would be considered illegally sharing information about that judge’s workplace. They could also make it impossible to know if some lawmakers even live in the districts they represent. This legislation would also bring essential government functions to a halt by giving only three days for workers to remove public information about public officials.
Kentucky has some of the strongest open records laws in the nation that allow Kentuckians, journalists, and researchers to understand and engage with government. Elected officials must be accountable to the people, not themselves.
Bill Movement:
- Introduced: N/A
- Passed Committee: N/A
- Passed House or Senate: N/A
- Accepted by House or Senate: N/A
- Passed Committee: N/A
- Passed House or Senate: N/A
- Sent to Governor: N/A
- Action by Governor: N/A
