JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — Three of Missouri’s top four lawmakers are claiming they are exempt from having to release their emails and daily calendars under the Missouri Sunshine Law. The Associated Press submitted open-records requests seeking the information as part of a national Sunshine Week project conducted in all 50 states.

State capitols are often referred to as “the people’s house,” but legislatures frequently put up no-trespassing signs by exempting themselves from public-records laws.

That tendency was apparent when The Associated Press sought emails and daily schedules of legislative leaders in all 50 states. The request was met with more denials than approvals.

In Missouri, Senate President Pro Tem Ron Richard, Senate Minority Leader Joe Keaveny and House Speaker Todd Richardson all denied the requests. House and Senate officials cited a legal interpretation that the records of individual lawmakers aren’t subject to the open-records law because they are not considered to be a “public governmental body.”

But House Minority Leader Jake Hummel said he believes lawmakers should comply with that law. The Democrat from St. Louis released copies of both his emails and calendar.

Some lawmakers claimed “legislative immunity” from the public-records laws that apply to most state and local officials. Others said secrecy was essential to the deliberative process of making laws.

And some feared that releasing the records could invade the privacy of citizens, creating a “chilling effect” on the right of people to petition their government.

Without access to such records, it’s harder for the public to know who is trying to influence their lawmakers on important policy decisions.