MADISON, Wis. (AP) _ Gov. Scott Walker has ordered state agencies to increase access to public records.
Walker's executive order signed Thursday directs state agencies to identify the most commonly requested records and make them publicly available. He's also ordering agencies to publicize how many records requests they receive and the average time it takes to fulfill them.
His order also calls for revitalizing a public notice website to serve as a centralized location for people to find public notices and meeting minutes starting in September. Walker's budget proposal calls for eliminating the requirement for many public notices to be published in local newspapers.
Walker has fought attempts to release public records in the past that he's determined to be transitory, meaning they are thought to have only temporary significance.