Despite clean election reform going down the tubes this year in Albany, not all was lost for good government groups. Of course clean elections are the ultimate goal for making the system more accountable and responsive to the citizens of New York, but opening the legislative process up to those that want to know what's going on is important by itself. By the close of business for the legislative year, several bills could be signed that significantly expand on the Freedom of Information Act.
From The Star Gazette:
One bill would end the phenomenon of people sitting empty-handed in audiences at public meetings, while board members are told to turn to certain pages and discuss the written material. The legislation would require government bodies to make records available at least 72 hours before the meeting. They could charge a fee for copying documents.
"This would eliminate so much of the frustration and make the Open Meetings Law more meaningful," Freeman said.
Other freedom of information and open government bills passed during the legislative session that ended recently would reimburse attorney's fees when someone sued for a violation of the Open Meetings Law and won, enable people to access more government records online, and require government agencies to keep up-to-date, online lists of records they keep.
The legislation to reimburse attorney's fees and costs would act as a deterrent against government agencies not complying with the Open Meetings Law, Freeman said.
"I think it will encourage better compliance through better knowledge of the law," he said of the bill, which was sponsored by state Assemblywoman Amy Paulin, D-Scarsdale, Westchester County, and state Sen. Stephen Saland, R-Poughkeepsie.
This may not be earth-shattering legislation, but it is an important set of steps that makes our government more accountable to the millions of New Yorkers that it is meant to serve. The more sunlight we pour onto the State Capitol, the better it works. Albany by its nature hates the sun (probably why so much of the complex is underground) and we must work hard as active citizens to pull it out the darkness it so desires.
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