4-20-23 senate passes bill to undo wisconsin open records ruling

MADISON, Wis. (AP) — The Wisconsin Senate is moving to undo a controversial state Supreme Court decision that transparency advocates say gutted open records laws when it was issued last year. A bipartisan bill the Senate passed Wednesday would remove limits on when people who sue over open records requests can recover attorney’s fees. The Supreme Court’s conservative majority ruled last year that people who sue for records aren’t entitled to attorney’s fees if a government authority voluntarily hands over records before trial. Transparency advocates said the ruling essentially made it cost-prohibitive for people to sue government agencies that don’t comply with records laws. The bill heads next to the Assembly.