Colorado Democrats Pass Bill Exempting Themselves from Open Meetings Law, Hiding Business from Taxpayers
Written by: Howard Beale
In a stunning display of hypocrisy, Colorado lawmakers, who were previously sued for breaking the Colorado’s Open Meetings Law, have now passed a bill exempting themselves from the very law they violated.
Instead of embracing calls for more transparency and accountability, Democrats in the legislature have chosen to shield their actions from public scrutiny.
Last year, state lawmakers faced not one, but two lawsuits for conducting public business in secret. One lawsuit exposed their use of secret ballots to decide the fate of bills vying for state funding. Another suit alleged that they held secret meetings to discuss legislation.
The Colorado House of Representatives
It is clear that transparency and open government were not priorities for these lawmakers.
Rather than learning from their mistakes and vowing to be more transparent, the legislature passed SB24-157 on a 39-22 vote in the House, with only six Democrats opposing it. The Senate had already passed it with a 21-12 vote earlier this month.
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Governor Jared Polis wasted no time in signing the bill into law, further perpetuating the lack of transparency in Colorado's government. In a signing statement, Polis suggested that it was the legislature's responsibility to police itself, stating that the executive branch should rarely intrude on the inner workings of the legislature. This statement raises concerns about the governor's commitment to transparency and accountability.
The newly passed Senate Bill defines the type of behavior and communication that falls under the open meetings law, as well as what constitutes a public meeting. It allows smaller groups of lawmakers to meet without providing notice to the public. This loophole essentially enables lawmakers to conduct business behind closed doors, away from the prying eyes of taxpayers.
The Colorado State Senate
Furthermore, the bill clarifies that electronic communications such as text messages and emails are not considered meetings but are subject to the state's open records act. While this may seem like a step towards transparency, it falls short of addressing the need for openness and accountability in the decision-making process.
Critics of the bill argue that the public expects public business to be conducted in public, not behind closed doors.
Attorney Suzanne Taheri, who previously sued Democratic leadership over their secret electronic voting system, expressed her concerns, stating that lawmakers do not want to be accountable to the people.
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The bill's sponsors, who are Democratic leaders from both chambers, claim that it aims to codify current practices and accommodate the informal process of bill development while avoiding violations of the law.
By exempting themselves from the Open Meetings Law, lawmakers are evading accountability and undermining the principles of transparency and open government. The public deserves elected officials who are willing to operate in the light of day and be held accountable for their actions.
Unfortunately, Colorado's Democrats have chosen a path of secrecy and self-preservation, leaving taxpayers in the dark about the decisions made on their behalf.