The Indiana House has passed a measure that would bill journalists and the public $20 per hour rate for records requests under open government laws if they take more than two hours to complete.
The measure by Republican Rep. Kathy Richardson of Noblesville was approved Thursday on a 62-25 vote. It now goes to the Senate.
Richardson says public records requests can be a burdensome annoyance that take up an excessive amount of government workers' time.
Democrats including Rep. Matt Pierce of Bloomington blasted the proposal as "not a good policy, not a good principle." He says government employees are paid by taxpayers who should not have to pay for documents.