Senate approves keeping most meetings open

BOISE – The Senate voted 26-8 Wednesday evening to impose strict limits on when its committees can close their meetings to the public, a move applauded by some as a sage plan even as Democrats in the chamber called for a more expansive policy that would keep all meetings open.

A single Republican – Sen. Gary Schroeder, R-Moscow – joined the minority Democrats to vote against the bill.

Senate Majority Leader Bart Davis, R-Idaho Falls, and other proponents of the new rules say they strike a balance, keeping most meetings open but allowing the chamber latitude to meet behind closed doors in rare instances.

Before the changes, closed sessions could be held for any reason. Now, executive sessions will have to be announced a day in advance, they can only occur with two-thirds member consent and the only matters that can be discussed are records exempted from public disclosure, pending litigation, personnel matters, security issues such as terrorist threats and consideration of property purchases.

The court case had been brought by the Idaho Press Club after some committee meetings were closed in 2003 and 2004. Leaders of the media group, whose members include TV, radio and print journalists, said they were satisfied with Wednesday’s changes – especially after senators agreed not to eliminate an Idaho statute, passed in 1974 in the wake of the Watergate scandal, that said all committee meetings must be open to the public. Instead, Davis agreed to amend it so that it matches the new Senate rule allowing closed committee meetings in rare instances.