DISCIPLINARY ACTION CHECKLIST - IAFC

ARIZONA STATE EMPLOYEE DISCIPLINE RECORDS TO
BECOME PUBLIC RECORDS
June 21st, 2008
House Bill 2159, which was approved by the Arizona Senate and House of
Representatives this week will make state employee disciplinary records open to
the public. Currently, the names, positions, and salaries of state employees are
public records; however, this new bill would create an extra level of transparency.
The bill was created as part of an effort to reform Child Protective Services,
which is a state agency. Sadly, three Arizona children died last year while being
monitored by Child Protective Services. House Bill 2159 is part of an effort to
bring more accountability and transparency to actions of state employees.
House Bill 2159 was part of a series of bills, such as House Bill 2454, which will
make CPS records public in cases where there is a death or nearly fatal injury
without the need for a court order, as is the current procedure. Additionally, this
group of bills is set make other records public, such as proceedings from CPS
cases.
The hope is that this series of legislation will shed light into any problems with the
system, and hopefully prevent further tragedies. To account for certain privacy
concerns, the bill was amended to require all employee phone numbers and
addresses to remain private information.
In addition helping the CPS system, this new bill will shed light on the activities of
all state employees, not just CPS workers. Of course, the other side of the
argument is that making disciplinary records public could create an
uncomfortable environment for state employees, one in which they are constantly
walking on eggshells for fear that any wrong move could become public
knowledge. It’s definitely an interesting dilemma, because on one side, you have
the privacy of the state workers, yet on the other side, you have the rights of the
tax paying public. After all, your taxes pay their salaries, so don’t you have a right
to know what inappropriate activities are occurring on your dime? What are your
thoughts?
While there are advocates on both sides of the debate, for now, it looks like the
rights of the public won. This series of legislation is expected to be signed into
law next week. Make sure to check with the Free Public Records Directory in the
future to find out where these state employee disciplinary records can be found.
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