Bluegrass Institute: 2018 revision to Open Meetings Law — A misstep in the right direction

One day before the now famous Senate effort to quietly undermine Kentucky’s Open Records Law by redefining the term “public record” to exclude “emails, texts or calls on devices paid for entirely with private funds and which do not involve government email accounts,” efforts were underway in the House to modify the Open Meetings Law […]

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Group: Massachusetts lawmakers’ open meeting exemption unconstitutional

The Massachusetts Legislature’s exemption from the requirements of the state’s open meetings law is unconstitutional, a conservative-leaning think tank said Thursday.

Attorney General Maura Healey declined to wade into the dispute, however. 

The Boston-based Pioneer Institute said the self-exemption restricts public access to certain legislative meetings and undermines the constitutional tenet that government be accountable for its actions.

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Editorial: Approve HB1153 to strengthen open meetings laws

Honesty, decency and forthrightness are among the values that define South Dakotans. Another core value is a fundamental belief in the public’s right to know about their government. South Dakotans believe the public’s business should be conducted in public view.

That principle in government transparency is embedded in South Dakota’s open meetings laws, which date back more than a half century and direct state and local government boards on how they should conduct business in public.

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