By Marianne Goodland | Colorado Politics
A panel of lawmakers decided to hold a proposal that seeks to carve out the General Assembly from some of the provisions of the state’s open meetings law after the sponsor indicated it may not be ready for prime time.
Senate Bill 157 attempts to deal with one of the stickiest unanswered questions around the state’s open meetings law — what exactly is an open meeting? The law, as it applies to the General Assembly, says that occurs whenever two or more lawmakers are together discussing public business.
But over the law’s 50-plus year history, lawmakers have held daily conversations on legislation on the floor of the House or Senate or in offices at the Capitol — all outside the public view.
It’s a conflict between what the law says and requires, and what’s practical in how lawmakers do their work.