Waters takes parting shot at legislative leaders' failed bill for invesigative agency

With the Kentucky General Assembly in the last full week of its 2009 session, columnist Jim Waters took a parting shot at one of the session's most controversial bills, which would have set up a new legislative investigating agency immune from public scrutiny.

The legislation was sponsored by Republican Senate President David Williams and Democratic House Speaker Greg Stumbo, but didn't even come to a vote in committee.

"Yes, ensuring government operates more efficiently, effectively and fiscally is a good thing. But holding secret hearings and conducting secret audits is not," wrote Waters, of the Bluegrass Institute for Public Policy Solutions, a libertarian think tank based in Bowling Green.

"Creating another large, costly government agency to do audits – the elected state auditor’s job – is not. Exempting state politicians from all accountability and transparency – another end run past the state open meetings and records law – is not."

Waters added that without transparency, "No hope exists for restoring public trust in government, which is at an all-time low." For the full text of his weekly column, click here.

Columnist blasts 911 bill

The bill to prohibit broadcast of 911 call recordings, expected to be reintroduced in next year's legislative session by Sen. John Schickel, R-Union, drew a blast from Jim Waters of the libertarian Bluegrass Institute for Public Policy Solutions in his weekly column. Noting that state open records laws don't make exceptions for "unpleasant" content in some 911 calls, Waters accused Schickel of "pandering to privacy advocates."

"The public makes the calls," Waters wrote. "The calls go to a public agency. Public agencies respond to the calls. And in fact, some of that unpleasant content reveals less-than-stellar performances by emergency dispatchers and law enforcement – a service to the public.The bill smacks of silliness, poor logic and court challenges." To read the column, click here.