March 2, 2021
SPJ Louisville Pro Chapter President Chris Otts issued the following statement on behalf of the chapter’s board regarding House Bill 312:
We appreciate that lawmakers engaged in a productive dialogue with the Kentucky Press Association about the ramifications of HB 312 as originally proposed. We regret that the conversation in Frankfort these days is focused on mitigating the damage to Kentucky’s government transparency laws. Instead, lawmakers should be looking to strengthen them. We stand ready to assist any out-of-state journalists who, if this bill becomes law, will no longer be entitled to public records in Kentucky.