Public information

Yes, there's ink in my veins. And that's one reason I'm geeked out about this. But it's certainly not the only reason.

A former co-worker sent me this press release today, about an ethics reform bill the governor's expected to sign on Monday:

“This is the most sweeping, comprehensive Ethics Reform legislation adopted in the past 30 years,” said Sen. Merle Flowers. “We opened up the halls of government from the courthouse to the Capitol. The citizens of Mississippi will now have easier access to public records, help with adjudicating public meeting violations, and more accountability for public officials who violate conflict of interest and ethics reporting requirements. Hopefully, this legislation will help restore the public trust of elected officials in Mississippi, given all of the recent judicial bribery scandals that occurred across our state.”

Gov. Barbour and Sen. Flowers will hold a joint press conference at the bill signing. The event will take place in the Governor’s office on the 3rd floor of the Mississippi Capitol on Monday, May 12, at 10:30 a.m. The public and press are invited to attend.

•••

Yes, this will make the newspaper's job easier. But the bigger picture is, this takes away the loopholes that allowed local governments in Mississippi to withhold information from the people. Before, it was very difficult if not impossible to get your hands on certain documents, like police reports.

It's funny ... this is a democracy. We elect the people we want to serve us. But more often than not, once they take office they want to operate in secret and kick and scream if you ask them for documents that are (or should be) public.

I like this new law. The Mississippi Press Association has been working for years to get it passed. A co-worker who's been part of that effort said yesterday that in the Legislature, attitudes have changed also. Maybe it is because of the judicial bribery scandals, or perhaps that's just part of the larger effort to enact change. I don't know. Whatever the reason, every Mississippian should be proud of the House and Senate for finally passing this, and of the governor for signing it into law. I predict much good coming as a result.