MADISON, Wis. (AP) — A proposal that would have hid University of Wisconsin research from public view has been removed from Gov. Scott Walker’s budget, making it more difficult to pass the Legislature this session. The Republican co-chairs of the Joint Finance Committee on Wednesday announced that the item was being taken out of Walker’s spending proposal because it is a policy decision, not budget-related. Open records advocates had urged rejection of the change, which had been attempted twice before in the Legislature unsuccessfully. Current law allows state universities to deny access to records if they can make the case that the harm from release outweighs the public interest. Walker’s proposal would have allowed those involved in certain university research to withhold information about their projects until they are published or patented.
