Editorial: We’re glad to see Colorado legislature take strides on open governance

The Greeley Tribune: It’s not too often we get to write something like this, so it’s a pleasure to do so here.

This past legislative session saw the passage of two bills that will help the public more easily access the records our governments produce and keep. After a two-year battle, legislators finally passed a measure this year — Senate Bill 40 — that requires government entities to provide upon request public records that are kept in computer-readable formats to members of the public in those computer-readable formats, such as spreadsheets that are more user-friendly. That’s not always the case now with paper records on budget items or crime statistics that are difficult to sort through.

Legislators also passed another measure — House Bill 1177 — that gives members of the public the ability to resolve a dispute about whether a record ought to be public, without resorting to a lawsuit.

Both these measures are important to us, of course. They’ll make it easier for us to do our job of keeping residents informed about the work that’s being done in their name. But, more importantly, they mean we’ll all have easier access to our public records. That’s a win for all of us. As we’ve said before, nothing is more fundamental to a democracy than that principle that states the public’s business must be done in public. These two measures help ensure that happens. We’re glad they passed both houses of a divided Legislature. Gov. John Hickenlooper already signed HB 1177, and we look forward to seeing him sign SB 40.

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