Missouri gets an glowing “F” on Sunshine compliance
Jean Maneke, the Missouri Press Association’s legal counsel, writes in the December issue of Missouri Press News that the state fails miserably when it comes to appealing denials of sunshine requests. That should come as no surprise to anyone who has tried to appeal a a denial. The failing grade comes from a survey of all states and is available http://nfoic.org/newsw/bag/overview.html.
Not only does the survey indicate that there’s no alternative than a clogged court system available to the public, but that if and when an appeal is ever successful, the penalty is simply a civil one.
“That’s a sad commentary on the status of our state’s open meetings law, ins’t it?” she opines. Sad indeed.
