Tech Trends

The First Amendment Center is releasing a series on where presidential candidates stand as it relates to freedom of speech.

As Missouri Republicans, with Governor Matt Blunt leading the charge, attack the judicial system on grounds they’ve violated the sunshine law - a promise to reform Missouri’s sunshine laws away from the cloud of secrecy.

Missouri Representative Jim Lembke (District 85) backed the governor’s stance and promised to strengthen the sunshine law. One of the main issues is, “How do you enforce the law”. Since government leaders go into special session - (for every reason permissible) how do we know when the law is being violated?

After all, the violations occur behind closed doors. Illinois seems to have the solution.

Advocating freedom of information as a state senator in Illinois, Obama successfully co-sponsored the Verbatim Record Bill, S.B. 1586, with state Rep. Barbara Flynn Currie, D-Chicago. This legislation, which was signed into law in August 2003 after having been pushed by the Illinois Press Association for nearly a decade, requires public bodies to make video or audio recordings of any meetings occurring behind closed doors. The bill passed the House and the Senate by large margins and made Illinois the first state to enact a law of this type.

The First Amendment Center goes both ways in relation to Obama. But the Illinois plan for stopping corruption goes a lot further than Missouri and provides a way for us to stop corruption before it starts.