Access to records and meetings looking better in New York
A half-dozen positive legislative bills await the governor's signature in New York, continuing an awesome year of increased openness around the country (see story in the Rochester Democrat and Chronicle). Some of the new provisions, provided Gov. David Paterson signs them, would:
- Require government agencies to make records that will be discussed in public meetings available to the public at least 72 hours before the meeting.
- Provide lawyer's fees for someone who sues for an Open Meetings Law violation and wins.
- Enable more access to online government records.
- Require agencies to keep up-to-date online lists of the records they keep.
- Allow the requester to get a record in electronic format (e.g., database) as long as they pay for the copying (including hourly salary of employee to do the copying).
Great stuff! The tide has turned and now proactive legislation is shoring up weaknesses in public record and public meeting laws around the country. Identify the weaknesses in your state laws and get them fixed, little by little, year by year.