The Orlando Sentinel

Several measures before lawmakers could help or hurt openness

Declaring this “A Week of Sunshine” in Florida isn’t a fluffy proclamation by Gov. Charlie Crist

He understands the importance of making state and local government more accessible to the public. The message also resonates at the federal level.

That brings us to winners and losers of this legislative session, both on the state and federal front. There are bills we champion as great examples of openness in government and courts, and there are others we deplore because of their restrictive and closed nature.

First the winners:

• SB 392: It requires government agencies to post information on all contracts over $5,000. The information includes a copy of the actual contract.

This provides a great level of transparency. People get to know how government money is spent. It’s important to account for every cent, particularly in these times when so many government agencies are facing budget cuts.

• The Sunshine in Litigation Act: This federal bill would require judges to consider public health and safety before granting a protective order, sealing court records or approving a settlement agreement.

Imagine a lawsuit involving prescription drugs. Would you want those court records sealed? Of course not. If something is dangerous, the public has every right to know.

The Senate shouldn’t dawdle. It should approve this bill quickly.

Now the losers:

• SB 2254: Sponsored by Orlando state Sen. Gary Siplin <http://www.orlandosentinel.com/topic/politics/gary-siplin-PEPLT006081.topic> , whose relevance in Tallahassee has been reduced to getting a droopy-pants bill passed, this clunker would allow courts to seal records of as many as three arrests on a person’s criminal history, provided he or she was not found guilty of the crimes.

What if that person was running for office? Your doctor? Your neighbor?

Wouldn’t you be concerned that this person might have some issues that you should know about?

Criminal histories shouldn’t simply disappear.

• HB 759: A big thumb’s down to Rep. Perry E. Thurston’s bill that would exempt personal identifying information from all public records.

That would include personnel records that can raise a red flag about a person’s conduct, or financial disclosure records that could indicate same shady dealings.

Say an elected city official had invested a substantial amount of money in a certain business, and that business puts out a bid on a contract with the city in which the official may cast the deciding vote.

That relationship would remain a dirty little secret if this bill were passed.

Secrecy and obfuscation are not in the best interests of the people.

Let the Sunshine in.

Copyright © 2008, Orlando Sentinel

Reproduced courtesy of the Orlando Sentinel.
Back to top | Return to fsne.org