West Jordan Republican Rep. Wayne Harper is sponsoring legislation that would require government bodies from school boards to city councils to record their closed meetings. He says sometimes sketchy written minutes are not enough to ensure the state's open-meeting law is being followed.

"We want to have an unedited, complete record of that meeting," Harper told members of the Legislature's Government Operations Interim Committee Wednesday.

Harper's bill stems from a legislative audit released three months ago that found several school boards were regularly violating Utah's Open and Public Meetings Act.

Auditor Brian Dean said school boards routinely close their meetings - most at least once a month. Jordan, Nebo, North Sanpete and Iron County school boards did not keep minutes in their closed meetings. And the Salt Lake, Granite, Provo and Washington County school boards' minutes did not include sufficient detail to understand what happened at their meetings.

At times, they would hold illegal "pre-meetings" in out-of-the-way places. Often, board members discussed issues that should have been debated in open meetings.

"School boards are not following closed meeting requirements," Dean told lawmakers.

Of those boards audited, only Carbon and Tooele County school boards were complying with state law.

Although some school district officials have said they will change their practices, Harper wants to make sure all school boards are following the law.

"Why should the public's business be done behind closed doors?" Harper asked.

Meetings closed to discuss personnel or deploy security would not have to be recorded. And tapes from closed meetings would not be released to the public unless a judge decided the meeting was closed illegally or the reason for secrecy had lapsed.

Harper's legislation would not change how lawmakers hold their closed party caucuses, where much of the decision-making on Utah's Capitol Hill takes place.

Along with Harper's bill, lawmakers likely will debate legislation recodifying the Open and Public Meetings Act itself during the 2006 Legislature. That draft bill includes provision for "electronic meetings." And North Ogden Republican Rep. Glenn Donnelson is considering drafting legislation to require governments to record open meetings as well.