Lawmakers across US step up efforts to shield personal information of public employees from being disclosed

Lawmakers across the country are stepping up efforts to shield the information of public employees such as police, elected officials, and judges from being disclosed.

The efforts to exempt more information from public disclosure come despite the fact that many governments are more transparent than ever when it comes to their meetings — making permanent the online streaming options spurred as a response to coronavirus-related restrictions on public gatherings.

That's led to a split assessment of government openness during Sunshine Week, an annual recognition of public information laws that began Sunday and runs through Saturday.

Though meetings may be more accessible, "basically, government is getting more secretive every year," said David Cuillier, an associate journalism professor at the University of Arizona who has been analyzing data about government compliance with open-records laws.