An eclipse of the sun
(Cross-posted here.)
The "Open" Government Study Committee was empowered by the Tennessee state Legislature to study and recommend any needed changes to Tennessee's open records law and its open meetings law.
Yesterday, the committee punted on the open meetings law until its meeting today. Sure enough, today's meeting resulted in proposed changes to the open meetings law which would make a mockery of the notion of open government in this state:
A study committee today recommended changes in Tennessee's "sunshine law" that some open-government advocates say would amount to a setback if they are adopted by the Legislature.
The Open Government Study Committee voted to recommend that government bodies be allowed to meet in secret under more circumstances than under current law.
Also, the panel recommended that private meetings of up to three public officials would not be considered as violations of the sunshine law. Under current law, meetings of just two members can be a violation.
If these changes are implemented by the Legislature, up to three members of County Commission could deliberate in secret without triggering a violation. As I mentioned in comments here, even Committee member Richard Hollow, the attorney who represented the Knoxville News Sentinel in its recent sunshine lawsuit against County Commission, voted for this evisceration of the law.
That's hard for me to understand. Hollow is one of the most ardent and aggressive sunshine lawyers in the business, so I'm mystified as to why he would recommend weakening the principles he has fought so arduously to defend.
If these changes are brought into force by the state Legislature, open government will no longer exist in this state. It really is that simple.