911 bill delayed; sponsor has floor amendment

A bill to keep recordings of 911 emergency calls secret is still awaiting a floor vote in the state Senate, following a floor amendment by the sponsor, Sen. John Schickel, R-Union (Boone County). His amendment would change references to "tape" in the bill to "recording," presumably reflecting the fact that many if not most 911 recordings are now stored on digital media, not tape. It would also change an apparently mistaken reference to laws governing inspection of records. To read the amendment, click here. To read the current version of the bill, Senate Bill 30, click here.

Earlier, Sen. Ray Jones, D-Pikeville, filed a floor amendment to allow attorneys to get a copy of 911 recordings by subpoena rather than by court order, as the bill would require. For the Web page that tracks the bill, click here. The bill is expected to pass the Senate but face a more difficult time in the House of Representatives.