From the Arvada Press: A bill introduced late this legislative session deserves support from all who want to ensure public officials make their decisions in the open and preserve the right to call them out in court if they don’t.

House Bill 14-1390 clarifies Colorado’s open meetings law, stating that anyone can challenge a perceived violation of the law, not only those directly affected by the action. In the equivalent of the session’s ninth inning — the General Assembly is scheduled to adjourn May 7 — the bill was introduced last week and quickly passed its first committee.

It remains to be seen whether the bipartisan measure, sponsored in the House by Bob Gardner, R-Colorado Springs, and Crisanta Duran, D-Denver, can gain final passage before the session’s conclusion. We’re hoping it does, or at least is revisited next January. If not, a Jefferson County judge’s head-shaking ruling in late March could set a dangerous precedent.

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