The North Carolina Press Association announced its support Thursday for a bill to amend the North Carolina Constitution with language that preserves the public’s right to access government meetings and records.

The measure, Senate Bill 911, was filed Tuesday in the North Carolina General Assembly. A companion bill, House Bill 1075, was filed in the lower chamber also on Tuesday. Both measures passed first readings and were referred to the respective rules committees in each chamber.

The association, of which Coastal Review is a longstanding member, says public records are vital to ensuring government transparency and accountability.

“This amendment mandates that authorities cannot restrict access to public meetings and records unless they can demonstrate that such limitations protect a compelling public interest,” said the association, which represents North Carolina newspapers and works to protect the public’s right to know through the defense of open government and First Amendment freedoms. “This critical measure fosters trust in public institutions by ensuring that any restriction on access is both justified and necessary.”

The press association applauded the bills’ sponsors, Sens. Dan Blue (Primary), D-Wake, Graig Meyer, D-Caswell, Gale Adcock, D-Wake, Val Applewhite, D-Cumberland, Sydney Batch, D-Wake, Mary Wills Bode, D-Granville, Natasha Marcus, D-Mecklenburg, Julie Mayfield, D-Buncombe, Mujtaba Mohammed, D-Mecklenburg, Natalie Murdock, D-Chatham, DeAndrea Salvador, D-Mecklenburg, and Kandie Smith, D-Edgecombe; and Reps. Tim Longest (Primary), R-Wake, Pricey Harrison, D-Guilford, Diamond Staton-Williams, D-Cabarrus, Lindsey Prather, D-Buncombe, John Autry, D-Mecklenburg, Cynthia Ball, D-Wake, Allen Busani, D-Orange, Terence Everitt, D-Wake, Frances Jackson, D-Cumberland, Nasif Majeed, D-Mecklenburg, Robert Reives II, D-Chatham, Caleb Rudow, D-Buncombe, and Julie von Haefen, D-Wake, for their efforts in advancing the legislation.

State lawmakers citing “legislative privilege” last year approved legislation that exempted themselves from provisions in North Carolina’s public records law.

Through a newly launched online system, individuals, organizations and the press can request public records from the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality.

The new online form on the DEQ website is an effort by the state agency to improve efficiency, tracking and fulfillment of requests by staff, officials said.

The form provides a single place for requesting public records from any division or regional office, including documents, emails, and Phase 1 reports.

Many of the agency’s public records have been available online, including permits, compliance documents and environmental documents. DEQ’s ArcGIS resources, like the Community Mapping System, include links to permits and associated documents for most regulated facilities.

For a complete list of the department’s online public records and ArcGIS resources, visit the agency’s Online Public Records page.

RALEIGH — Gov. Roy Cooper’s office has developed draft guidance for state agencies on public records and open meetings access.

The guidelines released Friday includes additional points for cabinet-level employees and commissions on best practices to allow the public access to records and meetings.

North Carolina laws governing public records and open meetings direct public employees to provide access. While there are some exceptions to the laws, in general the records of government are presumed to be public unless otherwise protected, including drafts of documents, memos, voice recordings and social media posts.

The governor’s office is seeking comments on this draft guidance by April 9.

Learn More

• Review Draft Guidance