From the Port City Daily (3/15/13): Move over Florida, there’s a new Sunshine State.
With legislation pending in the General Assembly that strengthens the public records law, open meetings law and even amends the North Carolina Constitution to make North Carolina a transparent and open state, many elected officials, attorneys and government transparency advocates are proclaiming the Tar Heel State as the next Sunshine State.
State Sen. Thom Goolsby, a Wilmington Republican and attorney, has introduced three bills in the State Senate that would strengthen the state’s public records and open meetings laws. Senate Bill 125—introduced last month and currently in committee—would make violating the public records law or open meetings law a Class 3 misdemeanor punishable by up to 120 days in jail.
Just this week—recognized nationwide as Sunshine Week with a focus on the First Amendment, public records and freedom of information—Goolsby introduced two additional bills geared toward government openness.