Tennessee Senate tweaks bill seeking to keep tourism records secret for 10 years

By KIMBERLEE KRUESI
Associated Press

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Tennessee’s Republican-controlled Senate has tweaked a proposal initially designed to keep the state’s tourism records hidden from public scrutiny. The move on Monday marked an effort to add more sunshine into how the state secures high-profile events. Last month, the GOP-dominant House approved legislation that would have allowed the head of the Tennessee Department of Tourist Development to exempt any public records for 10 years deemed “sensitive” by both the commissioner and attorney general. In response, Senate members changed the proposed bill to say that tourism records deemed “sensitive” can bypass the 10-year waiting period if the state funds involved have been dispersed, the negotiated event has concluded or the contract with the state expires.