Some Oregon legislators want a privilege that other Oregonians don’t get. House Bill 3056 would tell state agencies not to charge a fee for public records when a member of the Legislature makes the request.

What about the rest of us? Why not the public, too?

The Bulletin’s editorial board usually has good cooperation in getting records swiftly and for free from state agencies. We can’t speak to how well state agencies treat other journalists, members of the public or legislators.

State agencies can charge reasonable fees for public records under the law. The change under this bill creates a special carve out in the law for legislators. We can understand why legislators might want this. The fees can get expensive. And presumably, they would be seeking them in the public interest to do their jobs better of setting policy and evaluating programs.

But members of the public also have a legitimate interest in what their government is doing, as do journalists. Shouldn’t the cost of providing public records be part of doing the government’s business? It would cost the government more and there would need to be a provision that would allow for charging in some instances, but the agency shouldn’t be making that choice. An independent body should.

This bill only has Republican sponsors, which may make it less likely to go anywhere in a Legislature controlled by Democrats. It is not scheduled for a hearing, though that may change. We will be watching this bill to see why legislators believe they are entitled to a privilege we think every Oregonian should have.