BATON ROUGE, La. -- A House panel Tuesday backed a proposal that would greatly limit the ability of the governor and his staff to shield records from the public, a more restrictive public records exemption that what the Jindal administration wants.

The governor's office has been exempt from the state's public records law since the law was put in place more than 60 years ago. Contracts and documents that involve spending money aren't exempt, however.

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Gov. Bobby Jindal. (File Photo)

The proposal by Rep. Wayne Waddell, R-Shreveport, would limit the governor's public records exemption to the governor, his executive counsel and his chief of staff. All other documents in the office would be open to public scrutiny.

The House and Governmental Affairs Committee supported the measure over the opposition of Gov. Bobby Jindal's executive counsel, Jimmy Faircloth. He said Jindal wants to limit the public records exemption for the governor to take out dozens of agencies and commissions that get the exemption, but he said Waddell's bill was too restrictive.

"It's so specific that it's unworkable," Faircloth said.

Faircloth said the proposal would create problems for the governor to freely receive ideas, policy recommendations and communications from legislators and the public.

Carl Redman, representing the Louisiana Press Association, supported Waddell's bill, saying lawmakers should limit blanket allowances to hide records from the public and instead, should shield specific types of documents lawmakers feel should be confidential.

"If we're going to craft public records exemptions, those exemptions ought to come to this Legislature and they ought to be carefully considered and not just handed out willy-nilly," said Redman, executive editor of The Advocate newspaper in Baton Rouge.

Louisiana was rated in a national survey as having the worst access to a governor's records.

Waddell's proposal heads next to the full House for debate.

Faircloth is pushing an opposing measure by Sen. Mike Walsworth, R-West Monroe, that awaits debate in the Senate.

Walsworth's bill would give the records exemption to the governor and a list of his employees: his chief of staff, executive counsel, director of policy, press secretary, legislative director, director of boards and commissions, director of intergovernmental affairs, director of constituent services, communications director, director of scheduling and "each member of their respective staff."

It also would make a specific exception to public records law for all documents of the Governor's Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness and the state Military Department. Waddell's proposal initially matched Walsworth's bill, but Waddell asked the committee to rework the measure to only allow the governor, his executive counsel and his chief of staff to hide records from public view. The committee voted 8-5 for that change, then agreed without objection to send the bill to the House.

(Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

APTV 05-13-08 1621CDT