PRESS RELEASE: Citizens Petition Drive to recall HB477 filed

Petition for referendum to repeal HB477 filed
Keep Utah Open formed

March 10 – Today at 10:41 a.m., five ordinary Utahns filed an application for a referendum to kill HB477 once and for all with the lieutenant governor’s office. Simultaneously the group filed an initiative petition, the E-signature Initiative, to challenge SB165.
Nancy and Alan Lord, Janalee and Steve Tobias and Steve Maxfield have been joined in their effort by Utahns for Ethical Government, the Utah chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists, the Utah Foundation for Open Government and the League of Women Voters.
The coalition is a group of like-minded individuals who came together in their opposition to the bill, described by national Freedom of Information expert David Cuillier as “the most horrific anti-FOI legislation I have ever seen.”
“This is as organic as it gets. It is in response to the complete overreach of the legislature,” Nancy Lord said.
Today the coalition of citizens organized as Keep Utah Open.
The group has just 40 days to collect close to 65,000 signatures in 15 counties to bring HB477 to the ballot in November.
“With the passage of HB477 and SB165, we have seen an assault on the fundamental principles of democracy, which are access to government records and the right to petition your government,” political issues committee co-chair Justin Miller said.
Keep Utah Open launched its website keeputahopen.org this evening along with a Facebook page.
Although the coalition will have to wait on the lieutenant governor’s office for issuance of the signature packets, it hit the ground running, signing up volunteers at tonight’s Shine the Light on Capitol Hill rally.
Utahns interested in volunteering or donating to the cause may go to the website for more information.Petition for referendum to repeal HB477 filed
Keep Utah Open formed

March 10 – Today at 10:41 a.m., five ordinary Utahns filed an application for a referendum to kill HB477 once and for all with the lieutenant governor’s office. Simultaneously the group filed an initiative petition, the E-signature Initiative, to challenge SB165.
Nancy and Alan Lord, Janalee and Steve Tobias and Steve Maxfield have been joined in their effort by Utahns for Ethical Government, the Utah chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists, the Utah Foundation for Open Government and the League of Women Voters.
The coalition is a group of like-minded individuals who came together in their opposition to the bill, described by national Freedom of Information expert David Cuillier as “the most horrific anti-FOI legislation I have ever seen.”
“This is as organic as it gets. It is in response to the complete overreach of the legislature,” Nancy Lord said.
Today the coalition of citizens organized as Keep Utah Open.
The group has just 40 days to collect close to 65,000 signatures in 15 counties to bring HB477 to the ballot in November.
“With the passage of HB477 and SB165, we have seen an assault on the fundamental principles of democracy, which are access to government records and the right to petition your government,” political issues committee co-chair Justin Miller said.
Keep Utah Open launched its website keeputahopen.com this evening along with a Facebook page.
Although the coalition will have to wait on the lieutenant governor’s office for issuance of the signature packets, it hit the ground running, signing up volunteers at tonight’s Shine the Light on Capitol Hill rally.
Utahns interested in volunteering or donating to the cause may go to the website for more information.