There are nearly 600 exemptions to the Tennessee Public Records Act, and the list keeps growing. However, a new state law could slow the adoption of new exemptions because it requires the Tennessee House’s Government Operations Committee to review any legislation that creates an exception to the TPRA, which requires government records to be open to public inspection.

The Virginia Museum of Fine Arts occupies that most treasured space where public opinion can be excavated through public records requests. As a state agency, the museum’s budget documents, meeting minutes, and complaints from visitors about its art are at our oily fingertips.