Wisconsin: Leah Vukmir’s inability to follow open records laws costs state taxpayers $15,000
http://bloggingblue.com/2014/04/leah-vukmirs-inability-to-follow-open-records-laws-costs-state-taxpayers-15000/
Taxpayers are paying $15,000 in attorneys fees and damages and state Sen. Leah Vukmir is turning over documents to a liberal group as part of a settlement over a lawsuit under the state’s open records law.
The case deals in part with official records on Vukmir’s personal email account. The settlement avoids a showdown over when legislators are immune from open records lawsuits.
The documents stem from Vukmir’s involvement with the American Legislative Exchange Council, which works with corporations and conservatives to write model legislation that can be introduced in state legislatures throughout the country. Vukmir serves as ALEC’s second vice chairwoman, the third-highest position on the board.
The Madison-based Center for Media and Democracy sued the Wauwatosa Republican in June, contending she had violated the law by not turning over ALEC records. Brendan Fischer, legal counsel for the center that sued Vukmir, said the state will pay $12,500 in legal fees and $2,500 in damages.
“It’s an acknowledgment that she withheld records that she shouldn’t have withheld,” Fischer said.
Republicans break the law, then stick the taxpayers with the fine.