ND bill pushes secrecy in public job searches

FARGO—Applications for all public jobs in North Dakota could be closed—apparently for the first time in history—until the hiring authority names finalists under a bill that has passed the North Dakota Senate.

If approved by the House and signed into law, it would be the first time in North Dakota that a law closes a category of public records that has been open "forever," in the view of Steve Andrist, executive director of the North Dakota Newspaper Association, which opposes the bill.

Senate Bill 2152 passed 29-17 in the Senate and now awaits action in the House, where it has been referred to a committee for consideration.

The bill would make applications for state and local government jobs confidential until the entity designated three or more finalists. In the event a governmental body receives fewer than three applications, the job applications and related records are open to the public.

Read more: http://www.inforum.com/news/4224980-nd-bill-pushes-secrecy-public-job-searches