It has taken me a few days to think about how I want to write about this issue. I have rarely, in more than 12 years writing this blog, taken a clear stand on an issue. One reason I have written this blog as a volunteer is because I believe an informed public is an involved public.
House Enrolled Act 1338 will greatly weaken the office of Indiana’s Public Access Counselor. That means less transparency in local government. It means the Counselor will no longer have a 4-year term but can be fired at any time for any reason. It means the ability of that office to provide interpretations of Indiana’s Open Meetings law and other issues of government transparency will be severely limited.
I want to thank the many people that contacted Governor Eric Holcomb’s office urging him to veto this measure. In the end, the governor decided to sign the measure into law.
This will lower Indiana’s ranking in comparison to other states in providing transparent government. Indiana is already at or near the bottom of the 50 states in election turnout. This development will not help that ranking.
In 2018, U.S. News & World Report listed Indiana as 33rd among the 50 states in quality of life. That is not a good place to be. This law will not improve that ranking.
In 2022, the nonpartisan group, Coalition For Integrity, lists Indiana dead last in government transparency. And that was before Governor Holcomb signed this new bill into law. You see where I am going with this.
Why does Indiana have such a lackluster ranking for voter participation? I would argue government transparency is a major factor.
I have lived in Indiana my entire life and appreciate the values instilled in me by living here with very good people. Our governmental policies and laws do not always reflect those values.
I would hope that future legislators and governors would put government transparency as a high priority. Today, in Indiana, it is not. I find that sad.
This session the governor seems to have lost any will to take on the legislature. I wonder why? At first I thought he would run for the senate or another office and had to maintain his staunch Republican credentials but that has not proven to be true.
He has always seemed like a decent person but lately has just been a rubber stamp on an array of bad legislation.
That’s to be expected in trump land. Control the media.
Thank you Larry. Very well written on dead-on point.
Thanks for your thoughts Larry and for highlighting and following this issue for us. This seems by design to be a huge leap backwards for government transparency without any upside; which is sad.
It is unsurprising that this bill passed in Indiana, given the supermajority of a political party that seems less concerned with protecting rules and more focused on finding ways to bypass them. Governor Holcomb’s failure to veto it is evidence that he is no longer prioritizing the interests of the people but rather those of his party.
Nobody in this here darn state even knows what that Britt guy does or what open door laws are. Nobody knows what the Rogers Rules are for meetings. And this new law is not going to affect quality of life! You talk like it’s something like a huge oil spill or toxic waste dump.
I tell ya what I think. The democraps up there in Hamilton County are all upset because they been losing so many elections! So they all decided to try to wage some kinda vendetta and use Britts office to do it! It’s always those sneaky democraps. Sneaking around in the coffee shops. They ruin everything. That Britt guy, I feel sorry for him. Had to listen to all those whining democraps. And now the guy lost his job security. Bad things happen when you listen to democraps. Just look at all the democrap cities and how much crime they have because the democraps just like that Vare who lost in Fishers didn’t support police funding.
Let me get this straight Jay. It’s all the Democrats fault with the current crime rate? But wasn’t the Republicans that ended the requirement for gun permits, now any idiot can carry a gun. Isn’t the Republicans that continue to have and support the NRA? And isn’t the Republicans that fail to support the ban an assault weapons? Now the Republicans have a man running for president who has and is promoting a “bloodbath” violence and his once vice president will not even endorse him. Of course these questions are rhetorical but I don’t think the Democrats can take all the blame.
Oh, En lemme tell ya something. Guns don’t kill. People kill. And if they wanna kill and can’t get a gun, then they get a knife, or some poisen, or other some such thing. It’s the people who want to cause the murder, riot, steal, and not respect the law. That’s the problem.
And your bloodbath comment. You just spreading untruths. It was bout the auto industry and tarifs. Why all the Midwest is built on the auto business. What do you all think will happen if a bunch of cheap crap autos flood into this country?
I guess it might be wrong to blame all the problems on the democraps. I’m sure they might have done somethin good once upon a time. So let’s call it at 95 percent, 95 percent the reason our country is in the outhouse right now is due to democraps and bidenomics. Don’t ya agree, En?