Mo. Republicans push open records laws to get info Nixon plane

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Intro:	Republicans in the state Capitol want to know more about how Gov. Jay Nixon uses his plane and they want to use the state's open records law to get that information.
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Wrap: The House has given first-round approval to a bill would make the governor's flight logs a public record.

Originally, Republicans wanted the governor's flights to be public before he took off.

But St. Charles Democrat Bill Otto, who is a retired aircraft controller, said that might be a bad idea.

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Description: "Uh, gentleman, there is a flight movement that we're not aware of. There's military flight, there's executive flight. There's a lot of flight that should be private."

The House must approve the bill once more before it goes to the Senate.

Reporting from the state Capitol, I'm Wes Duplantier. Newsradio 1120. KMOX.

Intro:	Republicans in the state Capitol want to know more about how Gov. Jay Nixon uses his plane and they want to use the state's open records law to get that information.
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OutCue:	SOC

Wrap:

The House has given first-round approval to a bill would make the governor's flight logs a public record.

Democrats say the GOP is trying to harass the governor because they're angry that he bought his newest plane without telling them, for $5.6 million.

But Republican Denny Hoskins, of Warrensburg, said people should know how taxpayer dollars are being used.

Actuality:	HOSKINS.WAV
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Description: "What this would be focused on, again, is just good, open government. It would have those flight records be open and transparent to the public so we would know if you took a flight or if I took a flight."

Reporting from the state Capitol, I'm Wes Duplantier. Newsradio 1120. KMOX.

Intro:	Missouri lawmakers are working on bills that would make it easier for people to get their hands on government records.
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Wrap:

The Senate has given first-round approval to a bill that would force government agencies to pay a fine if they violate the state's open records laws.

Government agencies would also have to pay for court costs if they get sued for breaking the law and lose.

Jim Robertson is the managing editor of the Columbia Daily Tribune and the former president of the Missouri Sunshine Foundation.

He says the new protections are long overdue.

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Description: "The fact is that the public has been at a big disadvantage in proving that governments are not operating correctly under the Sunshine Law."

Members of the state House are also working on a similar bill.

Reporting from the state Capitol, I'm Wes Duplantier. Newsradio 1120. KMOX.