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RALEIGH, N.C.
A government agency that illegally withheld public records or documents would have to award reasonable legal fees under a bill introduced in the state House.
North Carolina Press Association executive director Beth Grace said Tuesday that the legislation can prevent people who fight city hall from going broke even if they win their case. Agencies that rely on legal advice to keep records closed wouldn't have to pay.
Judges can now order government officials to pay legal bills, but are reluctant to do so.
The measure introduced by Wake County Democrat Deborah Ross would create an Open Government Unit in the attorney general's office that would mediate disputes before they went to court.
A similar plan passed the state Senate last summer, but it died in the House.
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