Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker (R) said his state is jettisoning part of its proposed budget that would eliminate many opens records laws.
Walker announced the move late Saturday alongside State Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald (R), Assembly Speaker Robin Vos (R) and the co-chairs of the state’s joint budget committee.
{mosads}“[The proposal] will be removed from the budget entirely,” they said in a statement, according to The Associated Press.
“[It] was never intended to inhibit transparency in government in any way,” they added.
AP said the budget language would have exempted nearly anything created by Wisconsin government officials from the state’s open records law.
Republicans added the details into the proposed budget late Thursday evening.
The Wisconsin legislature is now forming a committee to research the transparency issue and publicly discuss possible solutions.
Walker is reportedly formally launching his 2016 GOP presidential bid July 13 after the completion of his state budget.
A RealClearPolitics average of recent polls shows him second only to former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush among potential Republican voters.
He also has a commanding lead in recent sampling of Iowa caucus voters.