|
Common Cause releases report on "Access" to the General Assembly
|
Greetings!
With the General Assembly session in its final days, Common Cause Rhode Island is watching as bills rapidly move through the legislative process. For decades we have been calling on the legislature to open up the process to allow citizens to allow greater transparency and participation. In that spirit today we are releasing, "A decade after 'Access Denied:' The Rhode Island General Assembly and the Open Meetings Act."
This report examines how well the General Assembly has abided by the Open Meetings Act in the last decade since the groundbreaking report by then Secretary of State James Langevin, "Access Denied: Chaos, Confusion, and Closed Doors." Using ten years of data compiled by the Secretary of State, we examine the trends in transparency by the General Assembly.
Our report finds that the legislature has dramatically improved in following the Open Meetings Act during the first five months of the legislative session, but continues to violate the law during the crucial final two weeks. Since the General Assembly is exempt from the Open Meetings Act, public awareness and pressure is key to holding the legislature accountable and forcing transparency.
You can download the entire report here.
In these final crucial days of the legislative session, Common Cause will be there acting as your watchdog. You can keep up with what we are doing by "liking" us on Facebook, or "following" us on Twitter.
|
|
Join Us!
If you believe that government belongs to the people, and not the special interests, join us by becoming a member of Common Cause. Information on how to do this is available from our website, or by calling 401-861-2322.
|
|
|
|
Contact Us
Common Cause Rhode Island
245 Waterman Ave, Suite 400A
Providence, RI 02906
401-861-2322
www.commoncauseri.org
|
|
|
|
|
