Proponents of legislative reforms to improve South Carolina’s Freedom of Information Act didn’t get everything they had hoped for in the bill that passed on the last day of the session. But the bill came close, and it should be regarded as a victory for open government and citizens’ ability to gain access to public information.
Another reason this bill is so welcome is that it was more than seven years in the making. South Carolina was at the forefront four decades ago when it first passed the Freedom of Information Act. But in recent years reformers have struggled to fine-tune the law to make it easier for private citizens and the media to challenge efforts by public officials and agencies to conduct their business behind closed doors. Read more…