State Sen. John Kefalas has been working for years to open state databases to the public through the Colorado Open Records Act. His latest bill on the topic was scheduled for a hearing Monday, but news came hours before the hearing was set to begin that Kefalas would have to wait another week to start debate on his bill.

“I found out maybe five minutes before hand,” he said, explaining that Senate State Affairs committee Chair Ray Scott delivered news of the delay in person on the floor of the chamber right before the Senate opened for business. “I think [Scott] took leadership in the Senate by surprise, too. They told me they didn’t know we’d be laid over.”

Sources said the delay came just to give committee members more time to gather information.

The hearing is being rescheduled for next week, probably Tuesday. Sooner is better than later, said Kefalas. The clock is ticking. February 16 is the deadline for most non-budget-related Senate bills to have moved through committees and to the chamber floor for a vote.

Monday’s hearing for Senate Bill 40 was much anticipated.

The bill concerns public access to digital database records and is being co-sponsored in the Senate by Colorado Springs Republican Bob Gardner. It’s a bill that has been in the works officially since the summer. Unofficially, it’s been in the works for years.

Last year’s version failed to pass, but opponents recognized the legitimacy of the problem Kefalas is attempting to address and teamed with supporters of the bill during an interim committee this year to draft a version they could endorse.

Deputy Secretary of State Suzanne Staiert reportedly spearheaded work to help re-draft the legislation. She and Secretary Wayne Williams were set to testify in support of the bill Monday.

Kefalas said he had asked the secretary’s office to reach out to State Affairs committee members and provide them with whatever information or advice on the bill they might need.

Also set to testify Monday was Natalie Menten, government transparency advocate and director of Regional Transportation District M, and representatives of the Colorado Freedom of Information Coalition, nonprofit government watchdog groups and at least one newspaper editor.

Groups Kefalas is still hoping to win over include rural county clerks and some higher education groups.

Rural clerks fear the technological and time challenges that filling database records requests might take, for example. Universities housing complex databases fear the costs of complying might not be recoverable.

“We’ve put in important exemptions to address those issues,” Kefalas said. “We’re ready to engage.”

– john@coloradostatesman.com