Colorado Times Recorder: Bipartisanship is in bloom at the state capitol – and in the case of one bill introduced to the legislature last week, we would be better off if it wasn’t. Last week, state Representatives Matt Soper (R) and Cathy Kipp (D) announced that they were cosponsoring a bill to accomplish a goal many elected officials have long dreamed of: making sure you cannot see their emails. 

Kipp, the bill’s Democratic sponsor, told Colorado Public Radio that the intent of the legislation was to address abuse of the Colorado Open Records Act (CORA), which can be used by bad actors to bog down state and local governments by subjecting them to a high number of requests. 

It’s a fair point: CORA is flawed and badly in need of reform. As a researcher and investigator, I frequently employ CORA, and I am well acquainted with its shortcomings: despite its name, it often falls short of actually providing access to public records. I’ve dealt with CORA from the other side too: as a former legislative aide who, many years ago, had to deal with CORA requests from the government perspective, I am familiar with the burden that records requests can place on the offices that receive them. 

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