Today I unveiled a proposal to immediately close a legal loophole that allows the legislature to do as it pleases when it comes to open meetings. 

 

In June, the Wisconsin Supreme Court refused to decide whether legislative leaders violated the state’s open meetings law when they rushed to pass a bill that eliminated most collective bargaining rights for public workers. 

 

As a result of the court’s decision, the legislature is now free to make its own rules when it comes to open meetings—even if those rules violate the law or provide no public notice of a meeting.

 

Recently I introduced legislation to amend the state constitution to permanently close this loophole in the open meetings law—which Republican lawmakers exploited in order to pass a highly controversial collective bargaining bill that took away 50 years of workers’ rights. 

 

However, amending the constitution is a lengthy process.  There’s no reason why the Legislature cannot voluntarily apply the open meetings law to itself right now. 

 

Incorporating the open meetings law into the legislative rules will immediately hold the legislature to the same standards of openness and accessibility as school boards, city councils and other government bodies.

 

Several Wisconsin citizen advocacy and open government organizations support this proposal, including the Wisconsin Freedom of Information Council, Common Cause in Wisconsin, League of Women Voters of Wisconsin Education Network, the Wisconsin Broadcasters Association and the Wisconsin Newspaper Association.  

 

I am working on this legislation with Senator Kathleen Vinehout of Alma, Wisconsin.