To the editor:
“Liberty cannot be preserved without general knowledge among the people, who have a right and a desire to know.” John Adams
In honor of Sunshine Week (March 15-21), we want to thank the Brown County Democrat newspaper for being our Brown County window, providing transparency every week: keeping the community informed on government and public agency actions, meetings and important events. We are proud of and appreciate our local press!
No Parmesan in Parmesan cheese! The Freedom of Information Act is 54 years old! This law has allowed people to uncover all kinds of deceptions, including FDA records uncovering false marketing of cheese as 100 percent Parmesan when it actually contained other cheeses, and wood pulp, but no Parmesan. FOIA has successfully uncovered many problems over the years, including Flint’s failure to add corrosion controls to the water supply, causing lead poisoning in kids; widespread overcharging in Medicare billing errors; and much more. (Reference: https://nsarchive2.gwu.edu/news/20160613-FOIA-Commands-Headlines-as-Law-Approaches-50th-Birthday/)
Sunshine Week celebrates transparency. Transparency in government is essential to an informed public, and an informed public is crucial to a healthy democracy. Our elected and appointed officials have a duty to operate out in the open, and we, as citizens, have a responsibility to stay informed.
Sunshine Week started in Florida in 2002 when the press and the public mobilized to defeat state legislators’ attempts to create hundreds of exemptions from the state’s public records laws. In 2005, the American Society of News Editors established national Sunshine Week to educate the public about the importance of open meeting laws, open records and government accountability. The timing of Sunshine Week is set to coincide with the birthday of James Madison, known as “Father of the Constitution” and our 4th President.
Indiana’s Open Door Law and Access to Public Records Act are vital. The League of Women Voters of Brown County would like to celebrate Sunshine Week by reminding citizens of the process to get public records according to Indiana Code.
Indiana’s Open Door Law and Access to Public Records Act not only instruct elected and appointed officials what they can and cannot do, but also spell out the rights that citizens have to help them stay engaged in our democracy.
Under Indiana Code, a public record is any writing, paper, report, study, map, photograph, book, card, tape recording or other material that is created, received, retained, maintained or filed by or with a public agency and which is generated on paper, paper substitutes, photographic median chemically based media, magnetic or machine readable media, electronically stored data or any other material, regardless or form or characteristic.
Just ask! When requesting a public record, check with the public agency to determine how they want the request to be made. Some agencies have forms, others want requests made by email. A public agency must respond within 24 hours after an employee receives an in-person or phone request. If a request is mailed, faxed or emailed, response is required within seven calendar days of receipt. The response can simply be that the request has been received, not the actual production of the requested item. The requested item must be produced in a reasonable period of time. If a request is denied, the denial must include a statement of the specific statutory reason and the name of title of the person responsible for the denial.
We hope this information is helpful in obtaining any records you may desire and will encourage citizens to become and stay informed.
Pam Raider, vice president and Shari Frank, president, League of Women Voters Brown County
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