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Friday, 16 March 2007 |
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This week has been National Sunshine Week, a time to take a closer look at the importance of open government and freedom of information. Many might think open government primarily benefits journalists, but freedom of information laws are for everyone who has an interest in how government operates, how taxpayers dollars are spent and how decisions are made.
This week Charleston County Council announced it would make background information for its council and committee meetings available online. Previously, agendas were available online but only council or committee members received background and supporting documents. Hats off to Charleston County for giving citizens more access.
Statewide, five bills were filed this week that would strengthen state Freedom of Information Act laws. Essentially, the bills would:
• Make it tougher for public officials to discuss business at social events or online.
• Reduce the amount of time public officials have to respond to FOIA requests from 15 working days to 10 working days.
• Limit the cost of copies for public documents.
• Make officials disclose, prior to going into executive session, what exactly will be discussed.
• Restrict public bodies from adding agenda items within 24 hours of a meeting. The bill would make an exception for items that are of “substantial public interest.”
Read an opinion piece from The Greenville News here.
Contact your local state legislators and encourage them to support these bills. Unfortunately, open government-related bills have a tendency to fall to the bottom of the pile during a Legislative session. Urge your legislators to stay on top of these bills—because open government affects us all.
Need a refresher course in South Carolina’s Freedom of Information Act? Check out these links from the S.C. Press Association and download a guide to the state FOIA.
Also, the U.S. House of Representatives took action this week on a bill that would bolster the federal Freedom of Information Act. Read more here.
Holly Fisher
Electronic Media Editor
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