The bill sidestepped the usual lawmaking process by tacking a new proposal onto a bill without sending it to a regular committee, where lawmakers and members of the public could weigh in. Democrats in the House Rules Committee raised alarms about the last-minute effort without a clear motive.

Skeptics say the hurried process was especially concerning for a bill that could shield information about lawmakers’ work from those who elect them and further restrict what police departments have to share with the public after they respond to a call about a crime.

Elberton Republican Rep. Rob Leverett said at the committee meeting the bill would simply “clean up” language related to public records issues that have come up in court. He called other added protections for legislators a “reasonable extension of existing law.”