CORRECTION

News Media Update erroneously reported in August that Missouri’s governor had signed into a law a bill allowing communities to set their own access rules for Geographic Information Systems.

In fact, Gov. Mel Carnahan vetoed the bill in July, calling provisions that could close off records “overbroad and contrary to the spirit of our open records law.” He said the bill authorized closing of records that are now open to the public.

The bill would have allowed cities and counties to close public records that are used to set up the systems — an array of information about a particular geographic area.

If it had become law, communities could have charged fees covering distribution and developmental costs in addition to actual costs for information produced by the geographic databases.

The Missouri Press Association had urged the governor to veto the measure. (H.B. 1592)