Hill Highlights: Utah lawmakers advance bill to dismantle records committee

• SB 277, sponsored by Senate Majority Assistant Whip Mike McKell (R-Spanish Fork), would replace the State Records Committee with a governor-appointed attorney "with knowledge and experience relating to government records law."
• The measure passed a Senate committee this week in a 4-2 vote.

Between the lines: Similarly, legislators this week advanced a bill to the governor, HB 69, that would make it harder for the public or journalists to recover attorneys fees for records that are deemed public — even if they win access to them in court.

• The court may award the fees if it determines the government entity operated in "bad faith" to prevent the records from being released.

The big picture: It's the latest blow to government transparency, according to critics and first amendment advocates.

• Last year, Gov. Spencer Cox signed a bill to make the calendars of public officials private and not subject to Utah's public records law.

What we're watching: A bill, SB 76, sponsored by state Sen. Jen Plumb (D-Salt Lake City) that would bar minors from marrying someone who is at least four years older is on its way to the governor's desk, Utah News Dispatch reports.

💬 Hill Highlights is a weekly feature to recap what's going during Utah's legislative session.