Even after being tweaked several times during the last year, the new public records bill is finally the law.
There are some changes to the initial draft of the bill that we first saw last year; however, public access reform was desperately needed.
The law will now allow all of us the opportunity to see things that have been very difficult to see in the past.
The burden of proof for not allowing a citizen to see public records will now be on those who, all too often, would rather keep that information in the dark.
This new law will put penalties on those officials who do not feel that we are worthy enough to know what is going on in our communities.
This knowledge is one of our most treasured freedoms and allows all of us to take part in the governing process.
Seeing and digesting much of this information make us better informed and able to make tough decisions with facts from authoritative sources.
This law helps our ability to govern ourselves in the light of day.
It has been a long fight during 2001 to get this bill to the governor’s desk.
The opposition was, at times, fierce.
Many groups – ranging from law enforcement to municipalities – stood against it at many different points.
Police were concerned that the flow of information would hinder investigations; municipalities were concerned that private information about residents could be used for nefarious purposes.
Part of the bill will see the creation of a board to look at such issues and to help determine if the release of information could be truly harmful.
The bill’s history is full of last-minute agreements to move it forward before it died.
Thankfully, acting Gov. Donald DiFrancesco was able to sign the bill as his last act in office.
We are happy that the bill is now the law. We salute those in the Legislature who stood steadfastly by it and would not let the bill die.
We can all take heart that the process does work and that we will now be able to see information that has been kept in the dark.